Criteria for the prescription of oral bisphosphonates for the treatment of osteoporosis in a series of women referred for tooth extraction.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the criteria for the prescription of oral bisphosphonates (OB) in a series of women with osteoporosis referred for tooth extraction.


METHODS
The study included 38 postmenopausal women on treatment with OBs. The following variables were analysed: age, weight, height, type of OB and duration of treatment, bone densitometry and risk factors for osteoporosis. In addition, the osteoporosis self-assessment tool (OST) was administered and collagen type I C-telopeptide (CTX) levels were measured.


RESULTS
Bone densitometry had only been performed in six patients (15.7%) before starting OB treatment. Based on the results of the OST, nine (23.6%) of the participants presented a low risk of osteoporosis. CTX levels were measured in 23 patients: 11 (47.8%) presented values below 150 pg/ml.


CONCLUSIONS
Although all patients in the present series were on treatment with OBs, a large percentage did not satisfy the criteria for the initiation of treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis.
Oral Medicine and Oral Surgery Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain. marcio.diniz@usc.es
Márcio
M
Diniz-Freitas
Javier
J
Fernández-Feijoo
Paula
P
Fernández-Montenegro
Antonio
A
González-Mosquera
Emma
E
Vázquez-García
Pedro
P
Diz-Dios
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004164:Diphosphonates / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014081:Tooth Extraction
D004164:Diphosphonates