Perioperative Management in Patients With Undergoing Direct Oral Anticoagulant Therapy in Oral Surgery - A Multicentric Questionnaire Survey

Risk of dentoalveolar surgery postoperative bleeding in patients taking direct oral anticoagulants and vitamin K antagonists: A prospective observational study

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) and vitamin K antagonists (VKA) increase the risk of postoperative bleeding after dentoalveolar surgery. Patients were classified into two groups: one taking DOAC and the other taking VKA with a therapeutic INR range. The control group comprised non-anticoagulated subjects. Participants were matched regarding dentoalveolar procedure. The primary predictor was anticoagulant status. The primary outcome was postoperative bleeding. The DOAC group comprised 77 patients, while the VKA group and control group each consisted of 103 participants. In each group, 103 dentoalveolar surgical procedures were conducted. Postoperative bleeding was recorded in 3/103 (2.9%), 5/103 (4.8%), and 1/103 (0.97%) occasions in the DOAC, VKA, and control groups, respectively, without significant difference (χ2; p = 0.54). The fully adjusted odds ratio for postoperative bleeding was 0.14 (CI 0.01-1.61; p = 0.05) for patients taking DOAC and 0.19 (CI 0.02-1.65; p = 0.285) for those taking VKA compared with non-anticoagulated controls. In conclusion, there was no increase in risk for clinically significant postoperative bleeding after dentoalveolar surgery in patients taking DOAC or VKA compared with non-anticoagulated subjects. Dentoalveolar surgery in patients taking DOAC and VKA can be performed safely without therapy cessation. The study was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04505475).

Controversies in Stoppage of Antiplatelet and Anticoagulant Medications Prior to Oral Surgery

Dental procedures can pose a risk of bleeding, and it is not uncommon for dentists to consult prescribing physicians regarding a mutual patient's antiplatelet and anticoagulant medication to prevent excessive bleeding during or after an upcoming procedure. However, there has been a growing controversy in the dental community surrounding the stoppage of these medications prior to dental procedures. Some believe that stopping these medications prior to dental procedures is necessary to reduce the risk of bleeding complications, while others argue that stopping them can increase the risk of stroke or other thromboembolic events. The debate has left many dentists and specialists unsure about the best course of action when it comes to managing bleeding risk during dental procedures.In this article, we will review the antithrombotic medications, indications, mechanism of action, and its effects on the coagulation pathway, laboratory testing and reversal agents. Also, we will explore the controversy surrounding the stoppage of novel anitplatelets (eg,: prasurgrel and ticagrelor), dual-antiplatelets, triple-antiplatelet, vitamin K antagonists (eg,: wafarin, coumadin), and direct oral anticoagulants (eg,: dabigatran, rivaroxaban, xarelto and endoxaban) in dentistry and examine the current evidence and guidelines for managing dental patients undergoing oral surgery.

Edoxaban use in the context of dental procedures: analysis from the EMIT-AF/VTE database

INTRODUCTION

Literature reviews support continuing anticoagulation during dental procedures. However, studies often present grouped anticoagulation data, and information on individual anticoagulant management would be helpful to dentists. The Edoxaban Management in Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures (EMIT-AF/VTE) programme (NCT02950168; NCT02951039) demonstrated low periprocedural bleeding and thrombotic event rates in patients with atrial fibrillation receiving edoxaban.

AIMS

To report periprocedural edoxaban interruption and clinical events in patients from EMIT-AF/VTE who underwent dental procedures.

METHODS

Dental procedures were categorised by type (cleaning/noncleaning). Edoxaban interruption, bleeding events, and thrombotic events were observed 5 days preprocedure through 29 days postprocedure.

RESULTS

Overall, 196 patients underwent 350 cleaning and/or noncleaning procedures; most patients (171/196 [87.2%]) underwent noncleaning procedures (282/350 [80.6%]), whereas 48/196 (24.5%) underwent 68/350 (19.4%) cleaning procedures. Edoxaban was uninterrupted for most cleanings (53/68 [77.9%]). Preprocedural interruption was common for single and multiple tooth extractions (single, 67/100 [67.0%]; multiple, 16/30 [53.3%]). The only major bleeding occurred after an unrelated cleaning. Minor bleeding occurred in 1/68 (1.5%) cleaning and 4/282 (1.4%) noncleaning procedures. There were no thrombotic events.

CONCLUSIONS

For most cleanings, edoxaban was not interrupted, whereas preprocedural interruption was more common for tooth extractions. Overall, bleeding rates were low, and no thrombotic events occurred.

Risk of post-extraction bleeding with direct oral anticoagulant compared with warfarin: Retrospective cohort study using large scale claims data in Japan

INTRODUCTION

Comparative safety of direct oral anticoagulants vs. warfarin in patients undergoing tooth extraction remains unclear. We compared the incidence of post-extraction bleeding between patients taking warfarin and those taking direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) using administrative claims data.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We identified outpatients on anticoagulant therapy who underwent permanent tooth extraction between 2015 and 2020 and categorized them into the warfarin and DOAC groups based on medication prescribed within six months prior to tooth extraction. We used the overlap propensity score weighting method to balance the baseline characteristics between the groups and compared the incidence of post-extraction bleeding within seven days after tooth extraction.

RESULTS

Among 5253 eligible patients, those in the DOAC group (n = 3696) were older and less frequently prescribed antiplatelets than those in the warfarin group (n = 1557). The distribution of tooth extraction type and number of teeth extracted in a single procedure did not differ between the groups. The unadjusted incidences of post-extraction bleeding in the warfarin and DOAC groups were 35 (2.2 %) and 71 (1.9 %), respectively. Moreover, the overlap weighting analysis showed that the adjusted odds ratio of post-extraction bleeding in the DOAC group in comparison with that in the warfarin group was 0.84 (95 % confidence interval, 0.54-1.31).

CONCLUSION

The incidence of post-extraction bleeding in patients taking DOACs was comparable to that in patients taking warfarin. The findings suggest that dentists and physicians should exercise the same degree of caution when extracting teeth in patients on DOACs and those on warfarin in terms of post-extraction bleeding.

Bleeding Outcomes After Dental Extraction in Patients Under Direct-Acting Oral Anticoagulants vs. Vitamin K Antagonists: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: The current systematic review aimed to compare bleeding outcomes in dental extraction patients receiving uninterrupted Direct-acting oral anticoagulant (DOAC) or Vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) for various systemic diseases.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, ScienceDirect, CENTRAL, and Google Scholar databases were searched for randomized controlled trials, controlled clinical trials, prospective and retrospective cohort studies, and case control studies, conducted on adult patients undergoing dental extraction under uninterrupted DOAC or VKAs therapy and reporting bleeding outcomes. The search was conducted up to March 31, 2021. We pooled data to calculate risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) in a random-effects model.

Results: Eight studies comparing 539 patients on DOAC therapy and 574 patients on VKAs were included. Meta-analysis indicated a statistically significant lower bleeding risk in patients under DOAC therapy (RR 0.68 95% CI 0.49, 0.95 I² = 0%). However, on sensitivity analysis, the results were statistically non-significant after exclusion of any of the included studies. On pooled analysis of limited number of studies, we found no statistically significant difference in the risk of bleeding between apixaban (RR 0.85 95% CI 0.45, 1.60 I² = 0%), rivaroxaban (RR 0.95 95% CI 0.36, 2.48 I² = 45%), dabigatran (RR 0.49 95% CI 0.19, 1.28 I² = 5%), edoxaban (RR 0.41 95% CI 0.13, 1.27 I² = 0%) and VKAs.

Conclusion: The results of the first review comparing bleeding outcomes after dental extraction in patients on uninterrupted DOAC or VKA therapy indicates that patients on DOAC may have a reduced risk of hemorrhage. Current evidence is of very low-quality and should be interpreted with caution. Data on individual DOAC is scarce and at this point, the difference in the risk of bleeding between these drugs cannot be elucidated. Further studies with a large sample size shall supplement our conclusion.

A prospective comparative study to assess the risk of postoperative bleeding after dental surgery while on medication with direct oral anticoagulants, antiplatelet agents, or vitamin K antagonists

Background

The aim of this prospective study was to investigate the occurrence and severity of postoperative bleeding following dentoalveolar surgery in patients with uninterrupted anticoagulation therapy (AT).

Methods

Patients receiving AT (vitamin k antagonist (VK), direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) or antiplatelet therapy (APT) and in need of surgical intervention classified as A, B or C (single or serial tooth extraction, osteotomy, or implant placement) were studied between 2019 and 2021. A healthy, non-anticoagulated cohort (CG) served as a control group. The main outcomes measured were the frequency of postoperative bleeding, the classification of the severity of postoperative bleeding (1a, 1b, 1c, 2, 3), and the correlation with the AT surgical intervention classification.

Results

In total, 195 patients were included in the study, with 95 patients in the AT group and 100 in the CG. Postoperative bleeding was significant in the AT group vs. the CG (p = 0.000), with a significant correlation with surgical intervention class C (p = 0.013) and the severity class of bleeding 1a (p = 0.044). There was no significant correlation with procedures of type A, B or C for the other postoperative bleeding gradations (1b, 1c, 2 and 3). There was a statistically significant difference in the occurrence of postoperative bleeding events between the DOAC/APT group and the VK group (p = 0.036), but there were no significant differences regarding the other AT agents.

Conclusion

The continuation of anticoagulation therapy for surgical interventions also seems reasonable for high-risk interventions. Although significantly more postoperative bleeding occurs, the severity of bleeding is low. The perioperative management of anticoagulated patients requires well-coordinated interdisciplinary teamwork and detailed instruction of patients.

Clinical trial registration The study is registered (29.03.2021) at the German clinical trial registry (DRKS00024889).

Bleeding Complications in Anticoagulated and/or Antiplatelet-Treated Patients at the Dental Office: A Retrospective Study

BACKGROUND

Bleeding complications in patients undergoing antiplatelet and/or anticoagulant therapy have been one of the main concerns in dental practice. Upon the introduction of new antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs, there is a search for new protocols that respond to a secure treatment. The aim of the present study was to evaluate bleeding complications in anticoagulated and antiplatelet-treated patients after performing simple dental extractions, in a period of 4 years.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

147 clinical records of anticoagulated and/or antiplatelet-treated patients undergoing a simple dental extraction over a period of 4 years (October 2015 to September 2019) were studied. Within the sample, 63 patients were antiplatelet-treated, 83 were anticoagulated, and 1 patient was under both therapies. Within the anticoagulated patients, 70 took classic anticoagulants and 14 new oral anticoagulants (NOACs). Quantitative data were studied with arithmetic mean and standard deviation (SD). The chi-square test was used for the qualitative variables. ANOVA tests were used to compare age and anticoagulated or antiplatelet-treated patients. Statistical significance was determined when p < 0.05.

RESULTS

From the 418 dental extractions performed, five severe bleeding complications took place in three patients (2.11%). From the five events, four were in patients treated with NOACs (1.68%) and one occurred in a patient anticoagulated with acenocoumarol (0.42%; p = 0.003).

CONCLUSIONS

Considering the results of this retrospective clinical study, we can conclude that bleeding complications in anticoagulated and/or antiplatelet-treated patients after tooth extractions were low, with a higher incidence recorded in patients treated with NOACs, followed by classic anticoagulants, and there were no complications in antiplatelet-treated patients.

Patients Taking Direct Oral Anticoagulants (DOAC) Undergoing Oral Surgery: A Review of the Literature and a Proposal of a Peri-Operative Management Protocol

Patients on anticoagulant therapy for the prevention of cardiovascular accidents present an increased risk of bleeding following dental and oral surgery. Four recently introduced non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants, namely dabigatran etexilate (direct thrombin inhibitor), rivaroxaban, apixaban, and edoxaban (Xa factor direct inhibitor), are widely spreading for convenience of use compared to the older drug class. Dental management of patients taking these drugs has substantial differences compared to patients on vitamin K antagonist therapy. Anticoagulation is not assessed directly through a hematological test, but indirectly by renal function. The interventions must be scheduled at the time of minimum blood concentration of the drug. Bleeding can occur even after several days following the surgery. The interaction with drugs administered for dental care must be carefully evaluated. The peri-operative diet can influence the risk of bleeding. Local measures favoring coagulation must be adopted. The interventions with higher risk must be divided into multiple less invasive interventions. Although antidotes exist for these drugs, their use does not seem necessary for dental interventions that have been planned optimally. Furthermore, in this review of the literature a decision protocol is proposed for the evaluation of the suspension of the anticoagulant drug before oral surgery. Cessation of any anticoagulant should only be made in consultation with the patient’s general practitioner/cardiologist, who will weigh up the risk of bleeding from the proposed procedure with the risk of thrombosis/stroke in each individual patient.