Bisphosphonates-related osteonecrosis of the jaw in Korea: a preliminary report.
OBJECTIVE
Bisphosphonates (BP) are widely used in medicine for inhibiting bone resorption; however bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) is a major side effect of BP. To date, there have been no specific reports on the incidence of BRONJ among Koreans. This study investigated the preliminary results from a nationwide survey of BRONJ in the Departments of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) at individual training hospitals.


METHODS
A total of 15 OMFS departments (10 from dental schools, 4 from medical schools, and 1 from a dental hospital) participated in a multi-centric survey. This study assessed every BRONJ case diagnosed between January 2010 and December 2010. The patient age and BP type were evaluated.


RESULTS
A total of 254 BRONJ cases were collected. The majority of BRONJ cases were associated with oral BP therapy, while 21.8% of the cases were associated with intravenous administration. Alendronate was the drug most frequently related to BRONJ (59.2% of cases), followed by risedronate (14.3%) and zolendronate (17.0%). The average age of BRONJ patients was 70.0±10.1 years, with a range of 38-88 years of age. With the number of BP patients in Korea reported to be around 600,000 in 2008, the estimated incidence of BRONJ is at least 0.04% or 1 per 2,300 BP patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that the estimated incidence of BRONJ in Korea is higher than the incidence of other countries. Future prospective studies should be carried out to investigate the exact epidemiological characteristics of BRONJ in Korea.
Board of Bone Bank, Ajou University, Suwon, Korea.
Jeong Keun
JK
Lee
Board of Bone Bank, Dankook University, Cheonan, Korea.
Kyung-Wook
KW
Kim
Board of Bone Bank, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
Jin-Young
JY
Choi
Board of Bone Bank, Chosun University, Gwangju, Korea.
Seong-Yong
SY
Moon
Board of Bone Bank, Chosun University, Gwangju, Korea.
Su-Gwan
SG
Kim
Board of Bone Bank, Dankook University, Cheonan, Korea.
Chul-Hwan
CH
Kim
Board of Bone Bank, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Korea.
Hyeon-Min
HM
Kim
Board of Bone Bank, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
Yong-Dae
YD
Kwon
Board of Bone Bank, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Korea.
Yong-Deok
YD
Kim
Board of Bone Bank, Daejeon Sun Hospital, Daejeon, Korea.
Dong-Keun
DK
Lee
Board of Bone Bank, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Korea.
Seung-Ki
SK
Min
Board of Bone Bank, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu, Korea.
In-Sook
IS
Park
Board of Bone Bank, Gangneung-Wonju National University, Gangneung, Korea.
Young-Wook
YW
Park
Board of Bone Bank, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Korea.
Min-Suk
MS
Kook
Board of Bone Bank, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Korea.
Hong-Ju
HJ
Park
Board of Bone Bank, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, Korea.
Jin-A
JA
Baek
Board of Bone Bank, Hallym University Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Jun-Woo
JW
Park
Board of Bone Bank, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea.
Tae-Geon
TG
Kwon
Bisphosphonate; Data collection; Jaw; Osteonecrosis