Effect of antiplatelet therapy on minor dental procedures

Minor oral surgical procedures are very common. Acetylsalicylic acid generically known as aspirin is used clinically as an analgesic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, and as a medication to prevent platelet aggregation.

The aim of this study was to determine if aspirin or clopidogrel was associated with bleeding after minor oral surgical procedures.

One hundred patients who were planned for extraction of the third molar were divided into two groups. In Group A, patients on antiplatelets were included and in Group B, patients who discontinued the drug before 5 days of procedure were included. The bleeding time of all patients was checked before extraction. The surgical procedure involved simple extraction of a single third molar tooth under local anesthesia. The extraction socket was sutured with 3-0 silk. A pressure pack of gauze was given for 1 h. Bleeding after 1 h and 24 h was compared between two groups. A Chi-square test was used to compare the variables.

None of the patients showed active bleeding in the postoperative period. The results for postsurgical bleeding were statistically insignificant with P = 0.05.

Minor surgical procedures such as single-tooth extraction can be carried out without discontinuation of the antiplatelet therapy.