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Updated: Nov 1, 2025

Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Oral health condition in cancer patients under bisphosphonate therapy
Rogério Jardim Caldas1,2, Héliton Spíndola Antunes3, Camila de Oliveira Rodini Pegoraro4
1Department of Dentistry, Mario Kroeff Hospital, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. dr.rogeriocaldas@gmail.com.
Objectives:
To investigate the association of oral health condition with the occurrence of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) in a cancer population.
Methods:
A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted with cancer patients exposed to bisphosphonates for at least 7 months. Dental and periodontal conditions were assessed by epidemiological indices.
Results:
The sample consisted of 80 patients under bisphosphonate therapy, nine of which were allocated to group 1 (with MRONJ) and 71 to group 2 (without MRONJ). Osteonecrosis cases presented 19 decayed, missing, and filled teeth on average. Moderate gingival inflammation was noted in both groups and together with severe inflammation exceeded 50% of the groups. The presence of dental calculus was detected in about half of the individuals in both groups. Shallow periodontal pockets were detected in about 25% of both groups. Deep periodontal pockets were more prevalent among patients with osteonecrosis. Regular oral hygiene was detected in approximately 25% of individuals in both groups. There was a strong positive correlation between the clinical staging of osteonecrosis and decayed, missing, and filled teeth index (DMFTI).
Conclusions:
Patients had a poor oral health condition. All but one osteonecrosis case had no previous history of tooth extraction; oral infections seemed to play a major role in the development of bone necrosis. Advanced osteonecrosis stages were associated with a higher DMFTI.
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