Gingival Enlargement in Epileptic Patients on Phenytoin Therapy-an Overview of Possible Etiologies and Studies

Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder with recurrent seizures due to a chronic underlying process. Despite tremendous advances in the field of understanding regarding the etio-pathogenesis of epilepsy, phenytoin still remains the drug of choice in its management. Chronic administration of phenytoin has been associated to have a number of adverse effects. Gingival enlargement is one such most often reported adverse drug sequela of long term phenytoin usage with exclusion of local factors contributing towards gingival enlargement. This review gives an overview regarding the association of phenytoin and gingival enlargement seen in epileptic patients being treated with phenytoin.