Risk of bleeding in patients on single and dual antiplatelet therapy undergoing dental extractions

Abstract

We assessed the impact of single and dual antiplatelet therapy on postoperative bleeding in dental extraction patients. The study involved 160 patients on antiplatelet medication and a control group of 105 healthy subjects undergoing extractions. Bleeding was considered an "event" if it persisted over 12 hours or met other specific criteria. A total of 115 teeth were extracted from control, 48 teeth were extracted from the dual drug group and 122 from the single drug group, with no significant difference in postoperative bleeding incidence (χ2 = 4.3, p = 0.11). Dental extractions for patients on single or dual antiplatelet therapy can be performed safely using local haemostatic measures without treatment interruption.