Pretreatment CT scans may contain clues about the risk of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw
Researchers at Hiroshima University have developed a machine learning model that uses pretreatment CT scans to predict the risk of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ). By analyzing bone density patterns in the mandible, the model can identify patients at higher risk before they begin bone resorption inhibitor therapy.
Why it matters
This diagnostic tool could significantly improve patient safety by allowing clinicians to adjust treatment plans for those at high risk of developing severe jawbone complications.
edited by Lisa Lock , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add as preferred source Region of interest segmentation on computed tomography taken before administration of medication. Credit: Oral Diseases (2026). DOI: 10.1111/odi.70386 CT images taken before patients begin treatment with bone resorption inhibitors may contain measurable clues about who will later develop medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ), according to a retrospective study by a researcher at Hiroshima University.
Masaru Konishi, a lecturer at Hiroshima University Hospital and sole author of the study published in Oral Diseases , used radiomics, which turns subtle patterns such as shape, texture and intensity in medical images into measurable data, to analyze the mandibular region in pretreatment CT scans.
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