Physicians' awareness of bisphosphonates-related osteonecrosis of the jaw.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the awareness and knowledge of physicians and dentists regarding bisphosphonates related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ).

METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in the Department of Dentistry, Riyadh Military Hospital, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from June to September 2010. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire distributed among a sample of physicians and dentists at the hospital.

RESULTS: A total of 222 valid completed responses were obtained (response rate: 82.2%). Less than one-third of the participants (31.5%) were aware of osteonecrosis of the jaw, while slightly more than half of them were treating patients with bisphosphonates (BP). None of the physicians had a correct response in all 4 knowledge questions. There were statistically significant associations between knowledge and qualification (p=0.019), years of experience (p=0.002), and specialty (p=0.034).

CONCLUSIONS: We found that physicians and dentists have low awareness and deficient knowledge regarding BRONJ, although most of them do prescribe BP to their patients. Therefore, intervention to raise awareness and knowledge among healthcare providers is needed.