Dental implant placement with bone augmentation in a patient who received intravenous bisphosphonate treatment for osteoporosis.

Intravenous (IV) administration of bisphosphonates has been considered an absolute contraindication for placement of dental implants, because of the increased risk of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ). However, the evidence regarding this association originates from patients being treated for various forms of metastatic cancer. In the case reported here, a patient received a dental implant while undergoing IV treatment with zoledronic acid for osteoporosis. The authors discuss the current evidence regarding the risks of dental procedures in patients receiving IV bisphosphonates for this indication. They also evaluate important risk factors and the decision-making pathway in such cases. On the basis of existing evidence, receipt of a single IV infusion of zoledronic acid for the treatment of osteoporosis does not appear to be an absolute contraindication to implant placement.