Knowledge of Practicing Students and Dental Surgeons Regarding Anti- coagulation Therapy of Patients Undergoing Dental Extractions

Introduction: Dentists are still confused about whether to stop anticoagulants during extractions or to practice local hemostatic measures and closely monitor patients' international normalized ratios (INR) levels. Aims & Objectives: To determine and analyze the level of knowledge of practicing students and dental surgeons regarding anticoagulation therapy of patients undergoing dental extractions. Place and Duration of Study: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among dentists and dental students in a teaching dental hospital (Islamabad Dental Hospital) for 5 months between August to December 2021. Material & Method: There were a total of 127 participants including BDS students, house officers, postgraduate trainees, and faculty members of all dental clinical departments who responded to the printed questionnaire. A convenience sampling technique was used to gather the data. After encoding, the data was input into SPSS version 22. For qualitative variables, mean and standard deviation were computed, whereas for quantitative variables, frequencies and percentages were determined., p.value? 0.05 was considered significant. The findings were displayed as tables, charts, and figures. Results: Out of 127 participants, 63.7% (n=81/127) were in favor of consultation with the patient's physician before dental extractions whereas 59% (n=75/127) considered discontinuation of aspirin seven days before extractions. Different international normalized ratio (INR) levels were considered for different medical conditions by 78.7% (n=100/127) while 49.6% (n=63/127) of the participants believed that warfarin should be replaced with low molecular weight heparin before dental extractions. 79% of participants knew the antidote of heparin. Postoperative clot formation was not checked by 25.2% (n=32/127), and 87.4% (n=111/127) gave both verbal and written instructions after dental extractions. Conclusion: It is concluded that there is a good level of awareness and implementation of guidance among dental practitioners. Further research and training programs are advised to enhance the knowledge among dental practitioners and to upgrade the standard protocols for treating patients with anticoagulation therapy.