No need to stop Antiplatelet and Anticoagulant Therapy for Simple Dental Procedures: Study

According to a new study, current evidence suggests that stopping antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy before simple dental procedures is generally unnecessary, as complication rates are low and typically non-severe.

Patients undergoing treatment with antiplatelet or anticoagulant drugs are attending dental consultations. Therefore, it has become essential to evaluate the patient before treatment and to conduct a thorough medical history. The goal of this study is to analyze the patients attending a dental clinic over a period of 6 months to determine how many are taking antiplatelet or anticoagulant medications, what dental treatment they seek, what hemostatic measures are taken, and whether they suffer hemorrhagic complications as a result of the treatment. This will help to prevent such complications by applying appropriate protocols, especially in the field of oral surgery. Over a six-month period, 867 patients attended a dental clinic in Madrid. Of these, 43 were taking antiplatelet agents or anticoagulants. A descriptive statistical analysis was conducted to gather data on age, gender, medication, dental treatment received, and hemorrhagic complications. Results: Only 4.9% of the patients attending the dental clinic were taking antiplatelet or anticoagulant medications. Specifically, 53.48% were taking antiplatelet agents, 34.8% were taking direct oral anticoagulants, and 11.62% were on vitamin K antagonist anticoagulants. After applying the appropriate clinical protocol in each case, only one patient experienced postoperative bleeding, which was not severe. Based on the results, it may not be necessary to withdraw antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy due to the low incidence and non-severity of complications in simple dental procedures.