Management of a dentigerous cyst in a medically compromised geriatric patient: a case report.

Background: Because of the increasing number of older persons seeking dental care, the growing trend towards a longer dental appointment and increased administration of drugs in dentistry, the possibility of occurrence of medical emergencies in dental offices has shown an upward trend.

Objective: This case report discusses enucleation of a central dentigerous cyst in a 72-year old male on long-term low dose aspirin therapy.

Material And Methods: Surgical removal of impacted tooth with total enucleation of cystic lesion was performed in the dental chair under 2% lidocaine with 1:200,000 adrenaline, 3 days after aspirin cessation. After complete debridement of the surgical site, the wound was sutured and a gauge saturated with 10% tranexamic acid was placed on surgical site for 30 minutes.

Result: No post-operative complications or bleeding was seen on subsequent appointment and healing was normal.

Conclusion: A geriatric and medically compromised patient demands special care and attention; and the decision to cease aspirin before surgery or not is of critical importance.