title: ONJ in two dental practice-based research network regions.
abstract: The incidence of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) in the population is low, but specifics are unknown. Potential risk factors include bisphosphonate treatment, steroid treatment, osteoporosis, and head/neck radiation. This Dental Practice-Based Research Network study estimated ONJ incidence and odds ratios from bisphosphonate exposure and other risk factors using a key word search and manual chart reviews of electronic records for adults aged > or = 35 years enrolled during 1995-2006 in 2 large health care organizations. We found 16 ONJ cases among 572,606 cohort members; 7 additional cases were identified through dental plan resources. Among 23 cases (0.63 per 100,000 patient years), 20 (87%) had at least 1 risk factor, and 6 (26%) had received oral bisphosphonates. Patients with oral bisphosphonates were 15.5 (CI, 6.0-38.7) more likely to have ONJ than non-exposed patients; however, the sparse number of ONJ cases limits firm conclusions and suggests that the absolute risks for ONJ from oral bisphosphonates is low.
authors.affiliation: Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, Portland, OR, USA. jeffrey.fellows@kpchr.org
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Fellows
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Rindal
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barasch
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Gullion
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rush
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Pihlstrom
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Richman