EVALUATION OF BLEEDING EPISODES AFTER DENTAL EXTRACTIONS IN PATIENTS UNDER ANTICOAGULANT THERAPY

Objective: To describe the frequency of bleeding in the immediate and late postoperative period after exodontia in patients under anticoagulant therapy. Study Design: This is a retrospective, descriptive, observational study under the qualitative-quantitative paradigm, based on the documentary analysis of the physical and electronic records of hospitalized patients and those treated as outpatients who underwent dental extractions. Results: Postoperative bleeding occurred in 49 (23%) of the 213 dental extractions after 48 hours of the surgical procedure, with 8% of moderate intensity. After 7 days, the incidence was 4%, with 80% of moderate intensity. There were no significant differences between postoperative bleeding and sex, number of dental extractions per session, and the International Normalized Ratio (INR) value. Significant associations were observed between surgical extractions, anatomic site, absence of additional local hemostatic methods in the intraoperative period, anticoagulation regimens with full dose enoxaparin and heparin bridge, and the frequency of moderate bleeding. Conclusion: The present study reinforces that in patients under anticoagulant therapy, severe bleeding complications are not expected after dental surgery, if anticoagulation is within the therapeutic range and local hemostatic measures are used.