Dentists and physicians should comanage osteoporosis patients, study says

Dentists should not discontinue bisphosphonate therapy or other medical treatment for people suffering from osteoporosis without consulting the patient's physician, according to a May article in the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA, May 2008, Vol. 139:5, pp. 545-552).

Although bisphosphonate drugs are great at battling osteoporosis, they can also cause the rare but serious condition of osteonecrosis, as reported in an earlier DrBicuspid article. Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ), for example, is a relatively new condition triggered mainly by the increased use of bisphosphonate drugs.

The authors of the JADA article looked at medical and dental literature to review the effect of osteoporosis on public health. They also looked at the implications of providing dental care to patients with osteoporosis.

The oral healthcare of patients with osteoporosis is important, and dentists and physicians need to work in collaboration to provide them care, the authors wrote.

"All healthcare professionals involved in the care of all dental patients, particularly patients who are taking oral bisphosphonates, should discuss patient-care decisions," they concluded.