<p> <i><u>Introduction:</u></i></p><p> Medication related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is exposed bone in the maxillofacial region that does not heal within eight weeks after identification by a health professional. Cancer patients taking or who have a history of taking anti-resorptive or anti-angiogenic agents have an increased risk for MRONJ. MRONJ adversely affects quality of life and results in significant morbidity. It has been shown that patients with risk factors for MRONJ are not aware of the condition or preventive strategies. Understanding patient awareness is the first step in communicating strategies for the prevention of and management of MRONJ.</p><p> <i><u>Aim of the study:</u></i></p><p> To describe the awareness level and characteristics, such as education level, of MRONJ among Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) patients who receive dental services in the RPCI dental clinic.</p><p> <i><u>Material and Methods:</u></i></p><p> This is a prospective interviewer administered research electronic data capture (REDCap) survey project. The sample include RPCI dental patients who are at least 18 years old with a history of taking, currently taking or will be taking Bisphosphonate, Denosumab, and/or Anti-angiogenic agent as part of their treatment at RPCI and volunteered to participate in the study. Patients were screened for eligibility by an RPCI dentist. Selected patients have been asked 21 questions.</p><p> <i><u>Results:</u></i></p><p> Twenty patients, 10 males and 10 females, participated in this study. The age of our subjects were ranging from 23 to 82 years. Eleven patients have completed a college degree or above, five have completed a high school diploma, and four have some college. Out of 20, nine patients only were aware of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). No relation has been found between ONJ awareness and gender, education level, or age.</p><p> <i><u>Conclusion:</u></i></p><p> This study shows that awareness of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw is poor amongst oncology patients who are at risk of MRONJ. There was no relation between age, gender, or education level and ONJ awareness in oncology patients. An effort to educate users of bisphosphonate, denosumab, bevacizumab, and sunitinib about their medications and their potential side effects as well as including preventative measures must be pursued. Health care providers, especially dentists, must be aware of MRONJ and its risk factors. In addition, they should know the significance of their role in educating and preventing the condition by following their health practice guidelines as well as applying the necessary preventive measures on their patients.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:10163787 |
| Date | 26 October 2016 |
| Creators | Al Abdullateef, Abdulrhman Y. |
| Publisher | State University of New York at Buffalo |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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