Management of dental patients receiving antiplatelet therapy or chronic oral anticoagulation: A review of the latest evidence.

The perioperative management of patients treated with antithrombotic medications who undergo surgical procedures represents a common clinical problem. Dental interventions are usually associated with a low risk of bleeding; however, the dental implications of new antithrombotic agents are not yet fully understood. The present review is based on the latest evidence and recommendations published on the periprocedural management of dental patients treated with single or dual antiplatelet therapy, vitamin K antagonists, or direct oral anticoagulants for a variety of indications.

Antithrombotic treatment in anticoagulated atrial fibrillation patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

Coronary artery disease coexists in a clinically relevant number of patients with atrial fibrillation and it often requires percutaneous coronary intervention. These patients represent a particular challenge for clinicians in terms of antithrombotic management. They require combined antiplatelet-anticoagulant therapy to reduce the risk of recurrent ischemic cardiac events and stroke; however, this antithrombotic strategy is associated with an increased risk of bleeding complications. In the absence of randomized, controlled clinical trials, the majority of current recommendations rely on the results of cohort studies, meta-analyses, post-hoc analyses and subgroup analyses of large, phase III studies. Based on the available evidence, the present review discusses the optimal antithrombotic strategy for patients receiving chronic anticoagulant therapy due to atrial fibrillation who require antiplatelet treatment after acute coronary syndrome and/or percutaneous coronary intervention, and discusses the issue of dental procedures. The correct planning of therapy significantly reduces the risk of bleeding complications and thromboembolic events. KEY MESSAGES: In order to reduce the occurrence of recurrent cardiac ischemic events and stroke, anticoagulated patients with acute coronary syndrome and/or percutaneous coronary intervention require a combination of therapies including anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs. Using the newest optimal combination of therapeutic strategies reduces the risk of haemorrhagic complications.

Prasugrel Versus Clopidogrel: A Comparative Examination of Local Bleeding After Dental Extraction in Patients Receiving Dual Antiplatelet Therapy.

PURPOSE: To study the effects of various parameters on local hemostasis after dental extraction in patients receiving different combinations of medications who had previously confirmed effective dual inhibition of platelet aggregation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 129 patients were enrolled. They underwent acute or planned percutaneous coronary intervention and their stomatological examination disclosed teeth that could have acted as foci and thus had to be removed. All patients took acetylsalicylic acid 100 mg and clopidogrel or prasugrel. Lidocaine with or without epinephrine was used for local anesthesia, and a gauze swab or suture was applied to help hemostasis. RESULTS: Bleeding time was significantly longer by an average of 10 minutes (+21%) in patients taking prasugrel (P < .05) compared with those taking clopidogrel. Use of a suture resulted in a significantly shorter bleeding time after anesthesia with or without epinephrine (P < .05). A considerably longer bleeding time was observed when anesthesia with no epinephrine was combined with gauze. In smokers, the bleeding time was shorter by 15% on average. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to analyze differences in bleeding times between clopidogrel and prasugrel treatments during dental extraction. In general, prasugrel is associated with a considerably longer bleeding time; nevertheless, dental extraction can be performed safely with either combination.