Patients on antiplatelet agents and oral surgery

The prevalence of cardiovascular pathologies, particularly ischemic heart disease, is rising sharply in emerging countries. Antiplatelet agents (AAPs) are the treatment of choice. Although the problem of simple dental extractions has been resolved, controversy persists as to which protocol should be adopted for these patients, in the case of oral surgical procedures or multiple dental extractions. We carried out a longitudinal descriptive study of 170 oral surgical procedures performed on 94 patients on PAAs, without stopping treatment and with the application of local hemostasis. 14.1% of procedures were complicated by minor intraoperative bleeding, controlled by local hemostasis techniques. No postoperative hemorrhage occurred. Local haemostasis procedures alone are sufficient to prevent intra- and postoperative haemorrhage in PAA patients undergoing oral surgery without discontinuation of treatment.