Dental implant surgery and risk of bleeding in patients on antithrombotic medications: A review of the literature.

Objectives: This literature review was performed to assess the risk of bleeding in dental implantation procedures in patients taking antiplatelet drugs (APs), oral anticoagulants (OACs) and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs).

Study Design: MEDLINE and SCOPUS databases were searched for English language publications through October 2019, using the keywords "dental implants," "dental implantation," "anticoagulants," "platelet aggregation inhibitors," and "hemorrhage." Reference lists of relevant articles were also hand searched.

The mythology of anticoagulation therapy interruption for dental surgery.

Background: Continuous anticoagulation therapy is used to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and other embolic complications. When patients receiving anticoagulation therapy undergo dental surgery, a decision must be made about whether to continue anticoagulation therapy and risk bleeding complications or briefly interrupt anticoagulation therapy and increase the risk of developing embolic complications. Results from decades of studies of thousands of dental patients receiving anticoagulation therapy reveal that bleeding complications requiring more than local measures for hemostasis have been rare and never fatal.

Postextraction bleeding in a patient taking antithrombotics: report of a case.

Antithrombotic medications, including antiplatelets and anticoagulants, are used by millions of patients to prevent stroke or heart attack. When these patients present for dental surgery, a decision must be made whether to continue the antithrombotic medication and risk a bleeding problem or to interrupt the medication and risk an embolic complication such as a stroke or heart attack. In patients taking antithrombotic medications, a small risk of postoperative bleeding after dental extractions must be weighed against a small risk of stroke or heart attack when these medications are interrupted.

Dental surgery in anticoagulated patients--stop the interruption.

In a literature review, the incidence and morbidity of bleeding complications after dental surgery in anticoagulated patients was compared with embolic complications when anticoagulation was interrupted. Over 99% of anticoagulated patients had no postoperative bleeding that required more than local hemostatic measures. Of more than 5431 patients undergoing more than 11,381 surgical procedures, with many patients at higher than present therapeutic intenational normalized ratio (INR) levels, only 31 (∼0.

Dental surgery and antiplatelet agents: bleed or die.

In patients taking antiplatelet medications who are undergoing dental surgery, physicians and dentists must weigh the bleeding risks in continuing antiplatelet medications versus the thrombotic risks in interrupting antiplatelet medications. Bleeding complications requiring more than local measures for hemostasis are rare after dental surgery in patients taking antiplatelet medications. Conversely, the risk for thrombotic complications after interruption of antiplatelet therapy for dental procedures apparently is significant, although small.

Critical appraisal: dental amalgam update--part II: biological effects.

Dental amalgam restorations have been controversial for over 150 years. In Part I of this Critical Appraisal, the clinical efficacy of dental amalgam was updated. Here in Part II, the biological effects of dental amalgam are addressed.

Critical appraisal: dental amalgam update—part I: clinical efficacy.

Dental amalgam use has been controversial ever since the Crawcour brothers of France introduced amalgam to the United States in 1833. It has been criticized for its alleged clinical shortcomings and biologic effects. As a result, we thought that it would be useful to provide an update on dental amalgam in two parts.

Dentistry's wonder drugs: local anesthetics and vasoconstrictors.

This article reviews recent developments concerning local anesthetics, including the amount of pain resulting from injection, which drugs achieve anesthesia most effectively, proper dosing for anesthetizing children and adults, the maximum recommended doses of lidocaine 2% with epinephrine for cardiac patients, and which drugs can be used for patients taking monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, or nonselective beta blockers. Dentists should be familiar with all aspects of local anesthetics, especially anesthetic toxicity and maximum recommended doses.

Not all instability training devices enhance muscle activation in highly resistance-trained individuals.

The objective of this study was to measure the electromyographic (EMG) activity of the soleus, bicep femoris, rectus femoris, lower abdominal, and lumbosacral erector spinae (LSES) muscles with a variety of (a) instability devices, (b) stable and unstable (Dyna Disc) exercises, and (c) a fatiguing exercise in 16 highly conditioned individuals. The device protocol had participants assume standing and squatting postures while balancing on a variety of unstable platforms (Dyna Disc, BOSU ball, wobble board, and a Swiss ball) and a stable floor. The exercise protocol had subjects performing, static front lunges, static side lunges, 1-leg hip extensions, 1-leg reaches, and calf raises on a floor or an unstable Dyna Disc.

Size doesn't matter: needle gauge and injection pain.

Many dentists prefer using smaller gauge (27- or 30-gauge) needles for anesthesia injection, believing that needles with a smaller diameter result in less injection pain than wider diameter needles. For this study, three dentists in a general practice administered 930 injections to 810 adult patients using 25- and 27-gauge needles for mandibular inferior alveolar block injections and 25-, 27-, and 30-gauge needles for maxillary buccal infiltration or palatal injections. Patients, who were blinded as to the needle gauge, were asked afterward to rate the injection pain on an 11-point scale (0-10).

Injection pain of prilocaine plain, mepivacaine plain, articaine with epinephrine, and lidocaine with epinephrine.

In a double-blind study design, 1,391 consecutive patients in a general dental practice received one of four different local anesthetics (articaine with epinephrine, lidocaine with epinephrine, mepivacaine plain, or prilocaine plain) via a maxillary buccal infiltration, palatal infiltration, or inferior alveolar block injection. The anesthetics were administered under clinical conditions by one of two dentists. Immediately after receiving the injection, patients rated the pain from each injection on a ten-point scale.

Osteoradionecrosis prevention myths.

Purpose: To critically analyze controversial osteoradionecrosis (ORN) prevention techniques, including preradiation extractions of healthy or restorable teeth and the use of prophylactic antibiotics or hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatments for preradiation and postradiation extractions.

Methods: The author reviewed ORN studies found on PubMed and in other article references, including studies on overall ORN incidence and pre- and postradiation incidence, with and without prophylactic HBO or antibiotics.

Results: Owing in part to more efficient radiation techniques, the incidence of ORN has been declining in radiation patients over the last 2 decades, but the prevention of ORN remains controversial.

Dentistry and Endocarditis.

Bacterial endocarditis (BE), a rare heart infection caused by a bacteremia, has frequently been blamed on but rarely caused by dental procedures. Viridans group streptococci are found abundantly in the mouth and the gingival sulcus but have been surpassed by staphylococci as the leading cause of BE. Antibiotic prophylaxis has been recommended before dental procedures in patients at risk for BE, but it remains controversial because studies have failed to show that antibiotic prophylaxis is an effective preventive for BE or that dental procedures are an important cause of BE.

Relationship between hockey skating speed and selected performance measures.

The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between specific performance measures and hockey skating speed. Thirty competitive secondary school and junior hockey players were timed for skating speed. Off-ice measures included a 40-yd (36.

Are there acceptable alternatives to amalgam?

Amalgam has been the material of choice for restoring posterior teeth for more than 100 years. The past 25 years have witnessed significant advances in restorative materials themselves and in the bonding systems for retaining a restoration in the prepared tooth. As a result, there has been a shift toward resin composite materials during this same period because of concerns about the esthetics and biocompatibility of dental amalgam.

Prevalence of cusp fractures in teeth restored with amalgam and with resin-based composite.

Background: Complete cusp fracture in restored teeth is a common problem observed in general dental practice. Many dentists believe that teeth restored with amalgam are more likely to be associated with cusp fractures than are those restored with resin-based composite. METHODS.

A resin alternative for posterior teeth: questions and answers on dental amalgam.

Amalgam has been used to restore cavities in posterior teeth for over 100 years, but formulations used today are different from those used a century ago. Amalgam restorations have been blamed for a number of problems, such as cusp fracture and higher rates of secondary caries. This article discusses these issues, along with possible toxic effects, in the light of current literature.

Injection pain of bupivacaine with epinephrine vs. prilocaine plain.

Background: Prilocaine plain has been described in the literature as causing less pain on injection than bupivacaine with epinephrine, possibly because of the higher pH of the prilocaine anesthetic solution.

Methods: In a double-blind study design, 681 consecutive patients in a general dental practice received maxillary buccal infiltration, posterior palatal infiltration or inferior alveolar block injections, administered under clinical conditions by one of two dentists. Immediately after injection, patients rated the pain from each injection on a six-point scale.