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.