2 | METHODOLOGY
This descriptive, cross-sectional study evaluated four groups of physicians namely oncologists, orthopedists, rheumatologists, and endocrinologists practicing in private and public sectors in Tehran city. The list of names of all specialists practicing in Tehran in 2019 was obtained from the Medical Council of Iran. After obtaining their address and necessary coordination, they were provided with a questionnaire and a return envelope. An arrangement was then made with their secretary for collection of the completed questionnaires. The physicians were ensured about the confidentiality of their information, and the questionnaires were filled out anonymously.
The inclusion criteria were being a member of the Medical Council of Iran, having permanent work permit, and clinical practice in private or public sector in Tehran city. Physicians without clinical practice and those unwilling to participate in the study were excluded.
A researcher-designed questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge level of physicians about BRONJ, and its prevention and treatment. The first part of the questionnaire asked for the demographic information of participants such as their age, gender, and work experience (in years). The second part of the questionnaire contained questions to assess the knowledge level of participants regarding dental considerations in patients taking bisphosphonates, and prevention and treatment of BRONJ. In order to assess the content validity of the questions, three faculty members were requested to read the questionnaire and apply the necessary modifications. Inappropriate questions were deleted according to their expert opinion, and necessary modifications were made. In case of no response to over 25% of the questions, the respective questionnaire would be excluded from the final analysis. After completion of 20 questionnaires by the physicians, the reliability of the questions was evaluated using the Cronbach’s alpha. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient can range from 1 to 0, and indicates the internal consistency of the questions. Cronbach’s alpha=0 indicates absence of internal consistency and reliability while Cronbach’s alpha=1 indicates complete internal consistency or reliability. The reliability of the questionnaire after two assessments was calculated to be 0.75, which was acceptable.