Irradiation treatment of cancer of the head and neck can cause permanently reduction in the blood supply to the mandibular
and maxillary (jaw) bones increasing their risk for bone osteoradionecrosis. I recently had to deal with this problem after
dental surgery. A recent review suggested that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO may be beneficial for this condition. Unfortunately,
the available data are conflicting, and the benefit of HBO to prevent or treat osteoradionecrosis of the jaw in irradiated
patients is uncertain. Because randomized trials have not been done, questions persist about the ultimate benefit of this
approach. I have summarized the information on my Blog. Despite the uncertainty about the utility of HBO it is commonly
used because it is a relative safe procedure.
