Osteoradionecrosis of mandible: Case report with review of literature

Osteoradionecrosis (ORN) of the jaws, particularly of the mandible, is a long-term and serious complication of therapeutic radiotherapy for head and neck cancer. The mandible is affected more commonly than any other bones of the head and neck region. The incidence of ORN of mandible is reported to be between 2% and 22%. With the older radiation techniques, the rate of ORN was reported to be between 5% and 15%, whereas with newer techniques such as 3D conformal therapy and intensity modulated radiotherapy the rate of ORN has decreased to 6% or less. We here report a case of mandibular ORN and the literature review discusses the clinical features, pathogenesis, preventive measures, and management of ORN.