Clinico-odontological management of medically compromised patients during intra-alveolar exodontia in Saudi Arabia: A retrospective study

Objective: Worldwide, the increase in chronic comorbid medical conditions in the young and elderly is of a major concern, especially in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to investigate the prevalence and clinico-odontological management of medically compromised during intra-alveolar exodontia in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This 5-year retrospective study was conducted on patients who had intra-alveolar extraction of teeth at the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery of a government referral hospital, between January 2016 and December 2020. Data on the age, gender, comorbid medical conditions, and management protocols which include general, specific, and special consultations with relevant specialties were also recorded and analyzed. Results: The prevalence of comorbidities in 8065 patients seen during the study period was 19.6%. There were 1578 (748 [47.4%] males and 830 [52.6%] females) patients with age range of 10–102 years. The mean (±standard deviation) of 36 (16.6) was observed. The most frequent spectrum of medical conditions discovered included endocrine (458 [29.0%]), cardiac (259 [16.4%]), respiratory (79 [5.0%]), central nervous system (83 [5.2%]), and autoimmune (54 [3.4%]). Five hundred and sixteen (32.7%) patients had combined medical conditions. Out of the 1578 patients with medical conditions, 1554 (98.5%) were on routine prescription medications. Conclusions: The current study observed that 19.6% of patients presenting for intra-alveolar tooth extractions were medically compromised. Majority were in middle age and were female. Endocrine and cardiac abnormalities were most prevalent medical conditions. Prescription medications were observed in 98.2%.