Anticoagulants and Oral surgical procedures-Comprehensive Guidelines

Extraction is one of the most common procedures performed in oral surgery. Surgical procedures performed on the patients must be based on sound scientific knowledge of literature. The surgical management of patients on oral anticoagulant therapy remains a challenging area for dentists. This is so because dental practitioners, who are not usually faced with life-threatening decisions on a regular basis, confront that very situation whenever these patients present for treatment. Potential bleeding complications in anticoagulated patients undergoing dental surgery must be weighed against possible embolic complications when anticoagulation is withdrawn or reduced for dental surgery. It must be emphasized that appropriate use of local hemostatic measures should always be considered whenever indicated. There is no justification to predispose the patient to the risk of thromboembolism at the expense of minor bleeding which can be easily controlled.