Journal of Dental Research, Vol 76, 1644-1652, Copyright © 1997 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals

ARTICLES

HIV status and the risk of post-extraction complications

T. B. Dodson
Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Tooth extraction is commonly performed for patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We undertook a prospective study to determine if HIV-positive patients had an increased risk for complications following tooth extraction. The study sample was composed of patients who presented for tooth extraction to the outpatient oral/maxillofacial surgery clinic at Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta, GA. The predictor variable was HIV status (positive or negative). The outcome variable was the presence or absence of a post-extraction complication. Other study variables were grouped into the following sets: (1) demographic, (2) past medical and social history, (3) clinical, (4) laboratory values, and (5) treatment. Between 11/93 and 4/96, 166 patients were enrolled. The study sample was composed of the 151 patients who completed the study protocol and consisted of 76 HIV-positive and 75 HIV-negative patients. The post-extraction complication rates were 22.3 and 13.3% for the HIV-positive and -negative groups, respectively (relative risk = 1.68, 95% confidence interval = 0.82 to 3.42, p = 0.15). The types of complications that occurred were similar in both groups. While the data suggest an increased rate of post-extraction complications in the HIV-positive group, the difference in complication rates between the two groups was not statistically significant. In addition, the complications were minor, self-limiting, and readily treated. Based on these findings, we believe that tooth extraction is a low-risk procedure in HIV-positive patients. Treatment may be rendered routinely to patients who present on an outpatient basis without the need for an extensive pre-operative work-up, unless otherwise indicated by relevant history.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. A. Horberg, L. B. Hurley, D. B. Klein, S. E. Follansbee, C. Quesenberry, J. A. Flamm, G. M. Green, and T. Luu Surgical Outcomes in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patients in the Era of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy Arch Surg, December 1, 2006; 141(12): 1238 - 1245. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. L. PATTON, D. A. SHUGARS, and A. J. BONITO A systematic review of complication risks for HIV-positive patients undergoing invasive dental procedures J Am Dent Assoc, February 1, 2002; 133(2): 195 - 203. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]