Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Dec 26;16(12):e76448.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.76448. eCollection 2024 Dec.

Knowledge and Awareness of Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw Among Dental Practitioners in Mumbai: A Questionnaire-Based Survey

Murtaza A Shapurwala  1 , Viraj Kharkar  1 , Saudamini More  2 , Harjit Kalsi  1 , Sanpreet S Sachdev  3
Affiliations

Knowledge and Awareness of Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw Among Dental Practitioners in Mumbai: A Questionnaire-Based Survey

Murtaza A Shapurwala et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Introduction: Osteonecrosis of the jaw resulting from the adverse effects of medical treatments is known as medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (MRONJ). The knowledge of dental professionals about this condition is crucial in addressing it on a regional and global scale. This study aims to assess the knowledge and awareness of MRONJ among dental practitioners in Mumbai.

Materials and methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study utilized a web-based questionnaire comprising 21 questions distributed to dental professionals and postgraduate students at dental colleges, hospitals, and private practices in Mumbai.

Results: A total of 403 dentists participated in the survey, with 85% familiar with the condition. A significantly (p < 0.05) higher proportion of clinicians with over 20 years of experience and those specializing in oral and maxillofacial surgery were aware of the indications for bisphosphonate drugs. About 53% of oral surgeons and 57.7% of participants with more than 20 years of experience were aware that antiangiogenic drugs are used in breast cancer treatment. However, awareness of their use in lung cancer was only about 21%.

Conclusions: Although practitioners were familiar with the term MRONJ, their knowledge of the drugs affecting the disease, as well as its clinical and radiographic presentations, was inadequate. Awareness of treatment strategies and recent advances was particularly lacking among general dentists and other specialists apart from oral and maxillofacial surgeons (OMFS). Practitioners also identified a lack of an interdisciplinary approach. There is a clear need for enhanced education and awareness on this subject, which can be achieved by conducting interdisciplinary surveys, conferences, and seminars.

Keywords: antiangiogenic drug; bisphosphonates; chemotherapy; oncology; osteonecrosis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Biomedical Ethics Committee issued approval IEC341072022. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Bharati Vidyapeth Dental College and Hospital, Navi Mumbai. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Knowledge of MRONJ treatment among the study participants.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Pathophysiology and risk factors for osteonecrosis. Shah KN, Racine J, Jones LC, Aaron RK. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2015;8:201–209. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bisphosphonates: mechanism of action and role in clinical practice. Drake MT, Clarke BL, Khosla S. Mayo Clin Proc. 2008;83:1032–1045. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw in patients treated concurrently with antiresorptive and antiangiogenic agents: systematic review and meta-analysis. Srivastava A, Nogueras Gonzalez GM, Geng Y, Won AM, Myers J, Li Y, Chambers MS. J Immunother Precis Oncol. 2021;4:196–207. - PMC - PubMed
    1. American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons position paper on medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw--2014 update. Ruggiero SL, Dodson TB, Fantasia J, Goodday R, Aghaloo T, Mehrotra B, O'Ryan F. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2014;72:1938–1956. - PubMed
    1. Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw—a continuing issue. Wróbel K, Sikora M, Chęciński M, Jas M, Chlubek D. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/17/7781 Appl Sci. 2021;11:7781.

LinkOut - more resources