Frequency of hemorrhage after tooth extraction in patients treated with a direct oral anticoagulant: A multicenter cross-sectional study

Objective Few studies have compared the frequency of hemorrhages after tooth extraction between patients taking direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) and those taking warfarin or no anticoagulants. Further, the effects of the timing of DOAC administration and tooth extraction on the frequency of post-extraction hemorrhage have not been demonstrated. Therefore, we compared the frequency of post-extraction hemorrhages in patients in these different conditions and examined the effects of the timing of DOAC administration and tooth extraction on the frequency. Design Prospective multicenter study Setting Eighty-six Japanese hospitals. Participants In total, 182 teeth extracted from 145 individuals (119 teeth from adult males) receiving dabigatran and 88 teeth from individuals (62 teeth from adult males) receiving rivaroxaban were included. Intervention Tooth extraction was followed by a 7-day observational period between November 1, 2008 and December 31, 2015. Dabigatran was administered twice daily; rivaroxaban was administered once a day. Primary outcome measure Hemorrhage after tooth extraction. Results The frequency of hemorrhage after tooth extraction was 1.65%, 3.41%, and 3.63% in those treated with dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and warfarin, respectively, and 0.39% in those who did not receive anticoagulants. Hemorrhages after tooth extraction were significantly higher in the rivaroxaban group than in patients who did not receive anticoagulants (P = 0.008). These frequencies did not differ significantly in the dabigatran and rivaroxaban groups compared to the warfarin group (P = 0.221 and P = 1.000, respectively). Conclusions The frequency of hemorrhaging after tooth extraction appeared to be similar in patients receiving continuous dabigatran or rivaroxaban and in those receiving continuous warfarin.