Resolution of cavitational osteonecrosis through NeuroModulation Technique, a novel form of intention-based therapy: a clinical case study.

OBJECTIVES

This study evaluated the possibility of using NeuroModulation Technique (NMT), a form of intention-based medicine, to induce osteogenesis and healing of cavitational osteonecrosis, a common progressive form of ischemic disease of the alveolar arch.

DESIGN

Eleven (11) adult patients were enrolled based on the presence of lesions in the jawbone. Ten (10) subjects underwent NMT therapy for up to 10 months, while 1 subject received no treatment.

OUTCOME MEASURES: A sensitive analysis of bone density in the alveolar processes of maxilla and mandible was performed before and after therapy using the U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved Cavitat system of through-transmission ultrasonography and computer imaging.

RESULTS

All subjects presented between one and six cavitational lesions at the first scan, most of which (92%) were associated with sites of previous tooth extraction. NMT-treated patients demonstrated significant improvement in bone density in 27 of the 34 lesions analyzed (79%). The median number of lesions per patient was 4 pretreatment and 0 post-treatment (p < 0.01). One NMT-treated patient, 1 surgically treated patient, and the control subject were also imaged at later time points, showing a durable healing of the lesions through NMT comparable to that of surgery, as opposed to disease persistence in the untreated control.

CONCLUSIONS

NMT therapy provides a safe and potentially effective treatment for jawbone osteonecrosis. Preclinical placebo-controlled trials are encouraged to investigate in depth the potential of NMT for treating inflammatory and degenerative pathologies.