Radiotherapy: a contraindication for dental implants?

"Dental implants installed in the irradiated area of an oral cavity have a high survival rate, but strict monitoring is needed to prevent complications" I submit that monitoring for complications will do nothing to prevent complications, as osteoradionecrosis can't be prevented once the prevailing conditions (i.e., prior radiation and oral surgery) are in place. Granted, a patient with radiation-induced xerostomia will have his problems with a removable prosthesis, but I suspect the prospect of osteoradionecrosis would be a deal breaker if the implant surgeon fully informs him of this risk. The devil is in the details, and the potential for ORN is radiation-dose dependent; most risk begins at 30 Gy, and becomes more significant at 60 Gy. I commend you to a recent article in OOOO: Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2016 Jul;122(1):28-34. doi: 10.1016/j.oooo.2016.01.007. Epub 2016 Jan 14. Osteoradionecrosis following treatment for head and neck cancer and the effect of radiotherapy dosimetry: the Guy's and St Thomas' Head and Neck Cancer Unit experience. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27039003 Notwithstanding this systematic review, a clinician who initiates ONJ and attempts to shield himself with a claim that he is "strictly monitoring" his patient would be standing on shaky legal ground in a court of law.