Perceptions of medical doctors on bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate medical doctors’ awareness of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) and the status of dental referrals. METHODS: Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to medical doctors practicing internal medicine, family medicine, and orthopedics at the 6 tertiary medical centers located in Seoul, Korea. The survey consisted of 22 questions regarding the general characteristics, bisphosphonate therapy, awareness of BRONJ, and implementation of dental referrals. RESULTS: Among 192 medical doctors, 21.9 % had not heard of the disease. Only 8.9 % correctly answered all 5 questions testing BRONJ knowledge. Dental referrals made by medical doctors were implemented in less than 30 % of the total patients. Oncology specialists most often recognized the necessity of dental referrals followed in decreasing order by endocrinology, rheumatology, family medicine, and orthopedic specialists. CONCLUSION: Given medical doctors’ low BRONJ perception and implementation level of dental referrals, enhancing information dissemination on BRONJ and development of a highly accessible educational program recognizing the need for dental referrals are urgent. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12903-016-0290-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.