title: An Assessment of the Incidence of Prolonged Postoperative Bleeding After Dental Extraction Among Patients on Uninterrupted Low Dose Aspirin Therapy and to Evaluate the Need to Stop Such Medication Prior to Dental Extractions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To propose that low dose aspirin therapy need not be withdrawn for routine dental extraction procedure.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study was designed to evaluate the post operative bleeding in patients on low dose aspirin therapy by dividing them into two groups: one with withdrawing and the other without withdrawing the regime before dental extraction.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study included 80 patients on low dose aspirin therapy. They were divided into two groups of 40 patients each; Group I (control group) included patients on who were asked to stop the medication 5 days prior to dental extraction; Group II (test group) included patients who were asked not to stop the medication prior to dental extraction. Strict atraumatic extractions were performed by a single surgeon. Data were analyzed using the independent "t" test @ 80 % power.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean pre-operative bleeding time in the control group was 87.75 s and the test group was 95.75 s which was statistically significant (p< 0.05). The mean pre-operative clotting time in the control group was 228.63 s and the test group was 246.25 s which was also statistically significant (p< 0.05). No patients in either group had any episode of prolonged postoperative bleeding following extraction from the surgical site and no local haemostatic measures had to be used except for one patient in Group II.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Authors conclude from this study that dental extraction procedures in patients on low-dose therapy can be safely carried out without stopping the antiplatelet therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha University, Chennai, 600077 India.
authors.forename: Brigit V
authors.initials: BV
authors.lastname: Eapen
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha University, Chennai, 600077 India.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Baig
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha University, Chennai, 600077 India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Avinash
keywords: Bleeding time; Low-dose aspirin; Postoperative bleeding