Is the prevalence of the medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaws underestimated, evaluation in oncological and non-oncological disease

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw in Slovak population and compare the literature findings, whether the prevalence of MRONJ is underestimated. BACKGROUND: Antiresorptive drugs significantly increase quality of life, although during therapy, or in posttreatment period, osteonecrosis of the jaws might occur as a severe adverse effect. Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (MRONJ) is a severe problem that has been observed in the past few years. METHODS: This multi-centric study evaluates the prevalence in Slovak population, assesses the values from 4 largest centres of maxillofacial surgery in Slovakia (1166 patients with MRONJ) and provides the comparison of literature review. RESULTS: Between 2010-2015, there was increasing number of newly diagnosed patients with MRONJ (1166 overall MRONJ patients) annually, except 2012 (mean growth of 123.88 %). This finding was supported by a statistical analysis of the rising tendency of prevalence in literature, where there was a significant difference in prevalence of non-oncologic patients before and after 2010 t(15) = 2.725, p = 0.016. The 6-year prevalence was 1.34 % in population with antiresorptive drugs intake, for osteoporosis 0.47 %, for breast cancer 4.10 %, prostate cancer 3.99 % and multiple myeloma 21.26 %. CONCLUSION: This study considers that there is a significant rising tendency of MRONJ in non-oncological patients, what could be caused by underestimation of the risk for development MRONJ in these patients. There should be a better cooperation and information among dentists and doctors indicating the antiresorptive treatment and strong emphasis on primary prevention before the initial treatment even in non-oncological patients (Tab. 5, Fig. 7, Ref. 69). Text in PDF www.elis.sk.