Table 2 frequencies of response to osteoporosis questions by general dentists
From: Dentists’ knowledge about osteoporosis and their ability to identify the disease
Question | Answer | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
Have you heard about osteoporosis? | Yes | 485 (100%) |
No | 0 (0.0%) | |
Which of these phrases best define osteoporosis? | Stronger bones, rich in calcium | 0 (0%) |
Fragile bones that break easily | 283 (58.4%) | |
Lack of calcium in the bones | 202 (41.6%) | |
From the tests below, which is the main one to diagnose osteoporosis? | Outpatient visit | 3 (0.6%) |
X-ray | 3 (0.6%) | |
Computed tomography | 3 (0.6%) | |
Urine analysis | 0 (0.0%) | |
Blood test | 8 (1.6%) | |
Bone densitometry | 466 (96.1%) | |
Magnetic resonance imaging | 2 (0.4%) | |
Which are the appropriate age group(s) to start screening for osteoporosis? | Childhood (0–8 years) | 0 (0%) |
Preteen (8–12 years) | 1 (0.2%) | |
Teen (12–19 years) | 0 (0.0%) | |
Early adulthood (19–40 years) | 1 (0.2%) | |
Mid-life (40–66 years) | 230 (47.4%) | |
Elderly (> 66 years) | 253 (52.2%) | |
Do you know any method in dentistry that can indicate the presence of osteoporosis in the patient? | Yes | 201 (41.4%) |
No | 284 (58.6%) | |
Would you like to know a method to identify osteoporosis using panoramic maxilla and mandible X-rays? | Yes | 480 (99.0%) |
No | 5 (1.0%) | |
Are you interested in advising your patients on this disease preventively? | Yes | 480 (99.0%) |
No | 5 (1.0%) |