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Published on: February 28, 2012
Risk of postoperative bleeding after dental procedures in patients on warfarin: a retrospective study
Catherine Hong1, Joel J Napenas, Michael Brennan
1Division of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore. denchhl@nus.edu.eg
Objectives:
The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the frequency of bleeding complications after invasive dental procedures in warfarinized patients and the possible risk factors.
Study Design:
The CoaguChek System was used to obtain an in-office international normalized ratio (INR) value for 122 patients (240 appointments), of which the mean age was 57.0 ± 15.9 years and 50% were males. Demographic and clinical information were obtained retrospectively from dental and medical records.
Results:
Five episodes (mean INR: 2.0 ± 0.8) of persistent bleeding were identified; 4 were after extractions and 1 was after implant placement. The frequency of bleeding was 4.8%, if only considering surgical procedures. Postoperative bleeding was significantly higher (P < .05) in patients who were taking anti-thrombotic medications in addition to warfarin.
Conclusions:
There is a low incidence of persistent bleeding after invasive dental procedures in warfarinized patients but the risk appears to increase with the use of concomitant anti-thrombotic medications.
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