Hemophilia: What the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon Needs to Know.

Hemophilia will be encountered in the oral and maxillofacial surgeon's office. A thorough understanding of hemophilia is necessary to safely care for these patients. One must understand the severity of the patient's hemophilia as well as whether or not inhibitors are present. The patient's surgical management will be influenced by these two factors. In addition to the possible need to transfuse factors or desmopressin, special care must be taken perioperatively to avoid bleeding complications. This article reviews the overall management of hemophilia A and B as well as the specific perioperative management of these patients.