Volume 25, Issue 116, October 2021

Knowledge of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw among dental and medical students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A comparative study

Paramjit Kaur Khinda^1,2,3, Safa Saeed^1,2,4, Salem Alshanbari¹, Adeeb Alshareef¹, Mohammed Matrood¹, Khalid Alothman¹, Abdulrahman Alqarni¹, Khalid Alshehri¹

¹College of Dentistry, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
²King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
³Preventive Dental Science Department, College of Dentistry, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
⁴Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Science Department, College of Dentistry, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

Objectives: To assess and compare the knowledge of dental and medical students about medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ). Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study consisting of a questionnaire was conducted among dental and medical students in their fifth and sixth year of study in various colleges in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Data was collected online by a selfreported questionnaire consisting of close ended and multiple-choice questions. Chi-square test was performed; the significant level was found to be p < 0.05. Results: A total of 352 dental and medical students participated in the survey. 65.4% of the respondents stated that they were familiar with the term MRONJ, yet less than 45% were aware of the risk factors, clinical appearance, and features of the disease. During the time that three-fourths of the respondents acknowledged the importance of recording BPs history, a greater number did not know the accurate treatment approach. Students in the sixth year had better knowledge than fifthyear students and dental students fared better than medical students. Conclusion: If it is initiatives such as workshops and lectures need to be started to broaden the knowledge of medical as well as dental students which will contribute to the prevention of MRONJ.

Keywords: bisphosphonates, bone, dentists, jaw, osteonecrosis, knowledge, dental practitioners, Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw, medication‐related osteonecrosis of the jaw, oral pathology

Medical Science, 2021, 25(116), 2529-2538

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