Assessment of oral health status and implementation of an educational program in a group of Egyptian epileptic children

Abstract

Epileptic seizures constitute one of the most common neurological disorders affecting children. Commonly prescribed anti-epileptic medications used for controlling seizure attacks could be associated with oral side effects such as gingivitis, gingival hyperplasia and xerostomia.

The current study was conducted to establish base line data on oral health behaviors and assess common oral health problems among a group of Egyptian epileptic children. The study also aimed to assess and compare the effectiveness of two different educational programs on changing oral health habits of those children.

A total of 100 children suffering from idiopathic epilepsy with age range from 6 to 12 years were randomly selected to participate in the present study. The patients were recruited from outpatient Pediatrics clinic of the Neurology Department, Al Demerdash Hospital, Ain Shams University. A control group comprised of 80 subjects was selected from among siblings of epileptic children such that they matched the target population with respect to age, gender and social living conditions. Before enrolling in the study, all subjects and their parents were given oral and written information on the study and written informed consent was obtained from the parents/guardians of the eligible subjects.