Perfil epidemiológico e impactos da osteonecrose dos maxilares induzida por medicamentos na qualidade de vida de usuários de antirreabsortivos e antiangiogênicos: um estudo observacional

Abstract

Objective: This descriptive and analytical cross-sectional observational study aimed to evaluate the epidemiological aspects of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) in patients using antiresorptive and antiangiogenic agents who were under care at a university oral medicine clinic from 2024 to 2026. Material and Methods: A convenience sampling method was used. A qualified data collection instrument was developed to collect epidemiological and clinicopathological data, along with the use of dental records for data collection and verification. A questionnaire on oral health-related quality of life and another related to general health were applied to all participants, respectively GOHAI and SF-36. Results: Forty participants were included, 31 without MRONJ and nine with MRONJ. The age range varied from 34 to 86 years, with the majority being female (67.50%), with incomplete primary education (32.50%) and complete secondary education (27.50%). Most participants presented multiple comorbidities and multiple medications for continuous use simultaneously, with metastatic bone disease, mainly due to multiple myeloma (30.00%) and breast cancer (32.50%). MRONJ prevalence was 22.5%. The most frequent location of MRONJ was the mandible (66.67%), in stages 1 (33.33%) and 2 (33.33%). Daily frequency of use of antiresorptive drugs (p=0.002), as well as the presence of active oral inflammation or infection (p=0.046), showed a statistically significant difference between groups. There were no statistically significant differences in the comparisons between groups for the GOHAI or SF36 scores, with moderate to low scores for both groups. Conclusion: This study sample presented factors of social vulnerability and high clinical complexity characterized by multimorbidity and polypharmacy. Based on the findings of this study, it is suggested that quality of life was possibly associated with the social and general health context rather than solely with MRONJ.