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Faculty Information

Kenneth E. Fleisher, DDS, FACS

Clinical Professor
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
421 First Avenue, room 303W Weissman
New York, NY 10010
Fax: 212-995-4920
E-mail: kef3@nyu.edu

Education

Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Residency, University of Miami School of Medicine
Internship in OMFS, University of Chicago School of Medicine
DDS, Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery
BA, University of Rochester

Honors / Credentials

Dr. Fleisher is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the NYU College of Dentistry. Dr. Fleisher is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and a Fellow of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Dr. Fleisher is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, an association with rigorous qualifications for membership. Dr. Fleisher received the Faculty Education Development Achievement Award by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons for his dedication to teaching and scholarship.

He is a nationally known specialist in oral and maxillofacial surgery, whose areas of expertise include necrotic bone disease such as osteomyelitis, osteoradionecrosis and medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ). His other areas of specialization include surgical management of obstructive sleep apnea, jaw reconstruction, implant surgery, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) surgery and trauma.

Dr. Fleisher is an attending in the department of Plastic Surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center and participates in training predoctoral students, international students and postgraduate residents in the oral and maxillofacial surgery training program at NYU College of Dentistry. Dr. Fleisher also participates in training postgraduate general dental residents at Bellevue Hospital Center and Gouverneur Hospital.

Research Interests / Professional Overview

Dr. Fleisher is the principle investigator of a study designed to understand the pathogenesis of Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (ONJ).

What is Osteonecrosis of the Jaw?

Osteonecrosis of the jaw, often referred to as "ONJ", refers to an area of dead bone in the jaw. ONJ as been linked to antiresorptive therapy (ie, Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw or MRONJ), infection (ie, osteomyelitis) and radiation therapy (ie, osteoradionecrosis or ORN).

How do I know if I have Medication-Related osteonecrosis of the jaw?

While some patients may not experience any symptoms, some may have exposed bone, pain, swelling and/or infection. An oral health care specialist can typically make this diagnosis after a taking a thorough medical history and performing a careful examination.

What causes MRONJ?

The cause of MRONJ related to antiresorptive therapy is unknown. There are many risk factors for MRONJ that include antiresorptive therapy (ie, bisphosphonates, denosumab), chemotherapy, poor oral hygiene, and infection.

How is osteonecrosis of the jaw treated?

There are many strategies for managing MRONJ, osteomyelitis, and osteoradionecrosis. For more information about ONJ, please contact Dr. Fleisher.

Current Funding

  • In vitro Bone Analysis for Bisphosphonate-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw
    R# 07-320
    NYU Funded Grant: $7,000.00 (Goddard Grant)
    6/2007-Present: Principal Investigator

Representative Publications

Complete listing available on the NYU Health Sciences Library site.

  1. Fleisher KE, Pham S, Raad RA, Friedman KP, Ghesani M, Chan KC, Amintavakoli N, Janal M, Levine JP, Glickman RS. Does fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography with computed tomography facilitate treatment of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw? J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2016; 74: 945-958.
  2. Pushalkar S, Kurago Z, Ramanathapuram LV, Matsumura S, Fleisher KE, Glickman R, Yan WY, Saxena D. Oral microbiota and host innate immune response in bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw. Int J Oral Science 2014; 1-8.
  3. Fleisher KE, Raad RA, Rakheja R, Gupta V, Chan KC, Friedman K, Mourtzikos KA, Janal M, Glickman RS. FDG PET/CT Detects Greater Metabolic Changes that are Not Represented by Plain Radiography for Patients with Osteonecrosis of the Jaw. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2014; 72: 1957-1965.
  4. Carlson ER, Fleisher KE, Ruggiero SL. Metastatic cancer identified in osteonecrosis of the jaws in patients taking intravenous bisphosphonate medications. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2013; 71: 2077-2086.
  5. Fleisher KE, Jolly A, Chippada-Venkata UD, Norman RG, Saxena D, Glickman RS. Osteonecrosis of the Jaw Onset Times are Based on the Route of Bisphosphonate Therapy. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2013; 71: 513-519.
  6. Ji, X, Pushalkar S, Li Y, Glickman R, Fleisher K, Saxena D. Antibiotic effects on bacterial profile in osteonecrosis of the jaw. Oral Diseases 2012; 18: 85-95.
  7. Sacks PG, Zhao ZL, Kosinska W, Fleisher KE, Gordon T, Guttenplan JB. Concentration dependent effects of tobacco particulates from different types of cigarettes on expression of drug metabolizing proteins, and benzo(a)pyrene metabolism in primary normal human oral epithelial cells. Food and Chemical Toxicology 2011; 49: 2348-2355.
  8. Fleisher KE, Glickman RS. Risk Factors for Bisphosphonate-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaws. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2011; 959-960.
  9. Fleisher KE, Welch G, Kottal S, Craig RG, Saxena D, Glickman RS. Predicting risk for bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaws: CTX versus radiographic markers. Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology and Endodontology 2010; 110: 509-516.
  10. Fleisher KE, Glickman RS. Bisphosphonate-related Osteonecrosis of the Jaws: A Case-Control Study of Risk Factors in Breast Cancer Patients. Breast Diseases: A Year Book Quarterly 2009; 20(2): 135-137.
  11. Fleisher KE, Doty S, Kottal S, Phelan J, Norman RG, Glickman RS. Tetracycline-Guided Debridement and Cone Beam Computed Tomography for the Treatment of Bisphosphonate-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw: A Technical Note. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2008; 66: 2646-2653.
  12. Fleisher KE, Krieger A. Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Current Trends in the Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. J Oral Maxillofacial Surg 2007; 65: 2056-2068.
  13. Wang EY, Mulholland TP, Pramanik BK, Nusbaum AO, Babb AG, Pavone AG, Fleisher KE. Dynamic Sagittal Half-Fourier Acquired Single-Shot Turbo Spin-Echo MR imaging of the Temporomandibular Joint: Initial Experience and Comparison with Sagittal Oblique Proton-Attenuation Images. Am J Neuroradiology 2007; 28: 1-7.
  14. Krieger AC, Fleisher KE. Obstructive Sleep Apnea-An Overview of Treatment Options. US Respiratory Disease 2006; 2 (2): 49-51.
  15. Vigneswaran N, Beckers S, Waigel S, Mensah J, Wu J, Mo J, Fleisher KE, Bouquot J, Sacks PG, Zacharias W. Increased EMMPRIN (CD 147) expression during oral carcinogenesis. Experimental and Molecular Pathology 2006; 80:147-159.
  16. Fleisher KE, Hirsch DL, Pahlavi IA, Glickman R. Severe Corneal Edema After Temporomandibular Joint Reconstruction: Report of a case. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2004; 62: 1324-1326.
  17. Fleisher KE, Carlson ER, Schaberg SJ. Oropharyngeal Mass. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 1998; 56: 359-364.
  18. Fleisher KE, Stevens MR. Diagnosis and Management of Inferior Alveolar Nerve Injuries. Compendium 1995; 16 (10): 1028-1040.