Dental management of patients under clopidogrel (Plavix®) treatment: realities and current recommendations.

Cardio-vascular diseases currently represent the primary cause of mortality and morbidity, worldwide^1-2. Much progress has been made recently in the management of acute coronary syndromes, heart failure, and other kinds of cardiac and vascular accidents, with anticoagulants (antivitamine K and antiplatelet drugs). Antivitamine K (AVK) drugs are frequently prescribed in curative or preventive treatment of arterial or venous thromboembolic accidents. The major complication of this kind of medicines is haemorrhage, consequently, before any oral or periodontal surgical procedure, dental practitioners have to figure out how and when to prevent any possible per-operative or post-operative bleeding by discontinuing (on a temporary basis) AVK-with or without shifting to heparin-, or pursuing the same medicine (AVK) – with or without decreasing its posology (dosage) as determined by the treating medical doctor.