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VIDEO: Long-term oral bisphosphonate use mildly increases risk for osteonecrosis of the jaw
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ATLANTA — In this video exclusive, Bo Abrahamsen, MD, PhD, professor and consultant endocrinologist at the Institute of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark in Odense, and Holbæk Hospital, Denmark, describes the influence of treatment duration and adherence on risk for osteonecrosis of the jaw or oral cavity in patients noted to be adherent, long-term users of oral bisphosphonates for osteoporosis.
Abrahamsen and colleagues conducted a nested case-control study of patients in Denmark who were prescribed oral bisphosphonates and had ICD-10 codes suggestive of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) to determine duration and adherence to treatment, comorbid conditions and use of other medications. They found that approximately 1 in 10,000 patients underwent surgery for ONJ in the year before starting bisphosphonate therapy. The rate increased to about 5 in 10,000 patient years with 5 or more years of therapy.
“I think it’s helpful to know that, yes, there is probably an association with a longer duration of oral bisphosphonates and that the absolute risk is fairly low, and that the risk increase with long-term use is comparable to a lot of common conditions that are highly prevalent or even to the use of proton pump inhibitors that we know to be used by 20% to 25% of the elderly population,” Abrahamsen said.
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