Predictive Value of Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio as a Marker in Antiresorptive Agent-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw: A Retrospective Analysis

Antiresorptive agent-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (ARONJ), a multifactorial disease, can drastically affect a patient's quality of life. Moreover, disease progression to severe acute inflammation can hinder treatment. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in predicting the risk of acute inflammation in patients with ARONJ. In total, 147 patients with ARONJ were enrolled between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2019. They were divided into two groups according to their baseline NLR (high NLR vs. low NLR) or PLR (high PLR vs. low PLR) to analyze the relationship between NLR and PLR and the outcomes of acute inflammatory events. An optimal NLR cut-off value of 2.83 was identified for hospitalization for an inflammatory event. Logistic regression analysis showed that NLR > 2.83 was associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for an inflammatory event. A PLR cut-off value of 165.2 was identified for hospitalization for an inflammatory event. However, logistic regression analysis showed that PLR > 165.2 was not significantly associated with hospitalization for an inflammatory event. Our study findings suggest that the NLR has diagnostic value in predicting the risk of hospitalization for inflammatory events among patients with ARONJ.