Weightings on dental surgical procedures in patients on antithrombotic therapy: Literature review

Abstract

Objective: the aim of this study was to identify, through literature, the most appropriate strategy for the dental treatment of patients taking anticoagulants or antiplatelet
agents. Materials and Methods: the survey, conducted in July 2016, included the electronic bibliographic databases MEDLINE/ PubMed and BVS, between the years 2000 and 2016. The initial search identified 141 articles indexed, and 25 were selected according to the methodology. Results: the articles were analyzed and various contexts in the care of this group of patients taking anticoagulant and/or antiplatelet agents were pointed out. The bleeding events were all handled satisfactorily. Conclusion: patients can safely undergo dental surgical procedures provided that the extrinsic pathway of coagulation to determine the blood clotting tendency is assessed, i.e.,
the INR. Furthermore, it is advisable to assess the surgical risk according to the type of procedure, approaches to minimize surgical trauma, the use of local hemostasis agents, and provide detailed postoperative instructions.