Knowledge, Attitude, and Management of General Dentist toward Medication-related Osteonecrosis of the Jaws

A survey on brazilian dentists’ awareness, perception, and knowledge of bisphosphonates

Aim: The purpose of the study was to analyze the knowledge of dentists in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, about bisphosphonates and their clinical implications. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted with a convenience sample of dentists in Belo Horizonte, in a period of 8 weeks. The questionnaire was self-applied and was structured with 10 items about the dentists’ demographic characteristics, professional profile, and knowledge about bisphosphonates. Associations in the data were analyzed by with the Fischer’s exact test with a significance level of 5%. Results: Of the 214 participating dentists, 163 (76.17%) were women, and 51 (23.83%) were men, with age ranged for 21 to 73 years (mean of 30 years) and mean of 6 years of professional activity. Nearly half (106/49.53%) reported having knowledge about bisphosphonates, and undergraduate courses were the primary source of such information (73/34.11%). Osteoporosis was the most identified indication for use (75/35.04%), although no participants correctly identified all indications. Regarding the drugs’ side effects, only three dentists (1.40%) could correctly identify all responses, with bone necrosis being recognized by the majority (88/41.12%). Sodium alendronate (54/25.23%) and sodium ibandronate (15/7.01%) were the most identified examples of bisphosphonates. Last, only nine dentists (4.20%) could identify all examples of the drugs, and their capacity was associated with self-reported knowledge (p<0.05). Conclusions: More information about bisphosphonates should be disseminated in Belo Horizonte, ideally via better approaches in local undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Until then, knowledge of the basic aspects of bisphosphonates will remain limited.

Teledentistry as a Supportive Tool for Dentists in Diagnosing MRONJ in Northern Cyprus

Objective

This web-based survey, as a tool of teledentistry, is aimed at assessing the level of knowledge, attitudes, and awareness regarding MRONJ among dental professionals in Northern Cyprus.

Methods

An online self-administered questionnaire about MRONJ was sent to all dentists in Northern Cyprus through Google Forms. The first part of the questionnaire consists of demographic and professional information, and the second part included questions about knowledge and awareness questions about MRONJ. The SPSS software was used for statistical data analysis. A Chi-square test was performed to compare between the groups. The significance level was set at p < 0.05.

Results

A total of 112 dentists participated in this survey. The participants showed an insufficient level of knowledge regarding MRONJ, as only 56.6% of the participants stated that they had general knowledge about MRONJ. Regarding the practical questions of the survey, the participants showed poor knowledge about implant and tooth extraction procedures while a patient is using antiresorptive or antiangiogenic drugs, particularly the usage of oral antiresorptive or antiangiogenic drugs for less than 3 years. Participants showed adequate knowledge in terms of usage area of medications and administration of them.

Conclusion

Teledentistry can be used as a supportive tool for dentists in diagnosing MRONJ. Similar to previous studies, the knowledge and awareness of MRONJ of dentists in Northern Cyprus were found to be inadequate. There is a significant need to provide more professional information as part of undergraduate programs so that the next generation of dentists can practice more confidently.