The role of dental care providers in the management of patients prescribed bisphosphonates: brief clinical guidance.

Dental care providers are likely to see patients who take bisphosphonates for various medical conditions, including osteoporosis, bony metastatic tumors, multiple myeloma, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. Bisphosphonates accumulate in areas of high bone turnover, leading to suppression of bone turnover and the aging of keratocytes. These adverse effects predispose the maxillary and mandibular bone to development of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ), specifically among oncology patients treated with intravenous bisphosphonate therapy.