Aspirin and Dental Extractions — ORE Part 1 MCQ

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EasyHuman Disease & Dental ManagementAspirin and Dental ExtractionsORE Part 1

A 55-year-old man takes aspirin 75 mg once daily for secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. He requires multiple routine dental extractions. What advice regarding his aspirin is most appropriate?

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Correct answer: A — Continue aspirin and manage bleeding with local measures

Explanation lettering: C = shown as B · D = shown as C · B = shown as D

A is correct. SDCEP advises that patients taking single antiplatelet therapy should undergo dental procedures without interruption of their antiplatelet medicine. Although aspirin can prolong bleeding, reported dental bleeding complications are generally controllable with local haemostatic measures. For aspirin alone, multiple extractions may be limited or staged where clinically appropriate, with careful local haemostasis. Interrupting aspirin prescribed for secondary cardiovascular prevention exposes the patient to avoidable thromboembolic risk. Therefore, B and C are inappropriate cessation regimens, and D is an unjustified dose alteration that does not remove risk. E is also wrong: clopidogrel is not a peri-extraction substitute for aspirin and may itself increase bleeding risk.

Reference: Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP). Dental Companion: Management of Dental Patients Taking Anticoagulants or Antiplatelet Drugs—Antiplatelet drugs, recommendation unchanged 2022. https://companion.sdcep.org.uk/management-of-dental-patients-taking-anticoagulants-or-antiplatelet-drugs/treatment-recommendations/antiplatelet-drugs/