Occurrence of oral trauma in young epileptic patients.

AIM People with reduced efficiency, as well as those who experience seizures, are prone to traumatic injuries within the facial skeleton. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of traumatic injuries of the oral cavity in epileptic children and youths from special-care schools. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was carried out in children and youths with intellectual disability attending special-care schools in the city of Poznan (Poland). The study group comprised 63 epileptic students (31 female and 32 male), aged 6-20 years. Information on disease prevalence was obtained from medical records. The control group consisted of 63 students (23 female and 40 male), aged 7-20 years, not suffering from epilepsy, randomly selected from individuals in the same schools. The examination included assessment of dental traumatic injuries (crown fracture or traumatic tooth loss). STATISTICS For statistical analysis relating to differences in the occurrence of injuries of teeth between epileptic subjects and control group, the chi- square test was used, but in case of a low number of observations, chi-square with Yates's correction. RESULTS Crown's fracture of permanent teeth was reported in 10 subjects (15.9% of all patients), which involved 13 permanent incisors. Tooth loss as a result of the injury was seen only in one 14-year-old subject. However, in the control group, symptoms of crown's fracture were found in six permanent teeth in 4 patients (6.4% of all subjects). CONCLUSION It is necessary to provide appropriate dental care to epileptic patients because of the risk of injuries and the need for a special prosthodontic rehabilitation.