A 65-year-old woman with severe cirrhosis is likely to experience which issue during dental therapy?

The correct choice highlights the tendency towards prolonged hemorrhage in a patient with severe cirrhosis. This is due to the liver's crucial role in producing clotting factors, many of which depend on liver function for their synthesis. When liver function is severely compromised, as it is in cirrhosis, there can be a significant reduction in the production of these factors, leading to a coagulopathy that makes patients more prone to excessive bleeding during dental procedures.

In dental therapy, this can present a major concern because any surgical intervention, such as extractions or even deep scaling and root planing, may lead to difficulty in controlling bleeding. A thorough understanding of a patient's liver function and overall health status is essential in planning dental treatments to minimize the risk of hemorrhage and ensure patient safety.

The other options, while they may be relevant to some extent, do not have the same direct link to the consequences of severe cirrhosis. For instance, while patients with chronic liver disease can have issues with pain perception or local anaesthesia, the most critical concern that affects their management during dental procedures typically centers on bleeding risk. Additionally, recurring infections and pain are common in many conditions, but the specific altered hemostatic response of a person with