Criteria for the prescription of oral bisphosphonates for the treatment of osteoporosis in a series of women referred for tooth extraction

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the criteria for the prescription of oral bisphosphonates (OB) in a series of women with osteoporosis referred for tooth extraction. STUDY DESIGN The study included 38 postmenopausal women on treatment with OBs. The following variables were analysed: age, weight, height, type of OB and duration of treatment, bone densitometry and risk factors for osteoporosis. In addition, the osteoporosis self-assessment tool (OST) was administered and collagen type I C-telopeptide (CTX) levels were measured. RESULTS Bone densitometry had only been performed in six patients (15.7%) before starting OB treatment. Based on the results of the OST, nine (23.6%) of the participants presented a low risk of osteoporosis. CTX levels were measured in 23 patients: 11 (47.8%) presented values below 150 pg/ml. CONCLUSION Although all patients in the present series were on treatment with OBs, a large percentage did not satisfy the criteria for the initiation of treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis.