The British journal of oral & maxillofacial surgery
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Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg · Jan 2015
Dental extractions and risk of bleeding in patients taking single and dual antiplatelet treatment.
Our aim was to evaluate the effects of single and dual antiplatelet treatment on postoperative bleeding in patients having dental extractions. The prospective clinical study included 160 patients who were taking antiplatelet drugs. The first group (n=43) were taking 2 drugs, mostly aspirin and clopidogrel, and the second group (n=117) were taking a single antiplatelet drug in the form of aspirin (n=84), clopidogrel (n=20), and ticlopidine (n=13). ⋯ The incidence of postoperative bleeding did not differ significantly among the three groups (χ(2)=4.3, p=0.11). However, the wound was sutured to achieve effective initial local haemostasis in 4/59 (6.8%) and 2/128 (1.6%) occasions of tooth extractions in the dual and single drug groups, respectively, and none in the control group (χ(2)=10.02, p=0.007). Patients taking single or dual antiplatelet drugs may have teeth extracted safely without interruption of treatment using only local haemostatic measures.