Which made my mind bounce to drugs like Fosamax and Boniva. I noticed when they first came out - since I'm a middle aged female the issue of bone density loss is one I pay attention to. But I thought it was a bit surprising that bisphosphonates were being used to treat the condition. I wasn't at all surprised, however, when my sister, who is a dental technician, told me that they were seeing serious jaw problems in their patients who took the drugs and had become reluctant to work on anyone using them.
Phossy jaw, more correctly called phosphorus necrosis of the jaw, was an occupational hazard of those who worked in match factories, which used white phosphorus for matches from the 1840s until 1910. It began with toothaches, then the jaw bone would abscess and deteriorate. The brain eventually would be damaged. Removal of the affected jaw bone could save the victim, otherwise the condition was fatal.
It took active campaigning and the Berne Convention in 1906 to force a switch to safer red phosphorus and bring an end to the condition. Which has now reappeared as a side effect for bone density drugs involving a form of phosphorus.
I often gripe at people about lack of knowledge of history. I know that things like phossy jaw are just useless trivia to most folks, but in this case I'd be really curious to know if anybody involved in the development of Fosomax and related drugs ever heard of it.
