Tongue biting and epilepsy.

Tongue biting, traditionally believed to be a specific clinical sign favoring epilepsy, is also reported to occur in syncope and psychogenic seizures(2). Lateral tongue biting (on the sides) is more specific for a diagnosis of true epilepsy as compared to syncope(2) or psychogenic seizures, where biting of the lip or tip of the tongue is seen(3). Nocturnal tongue biting (NTB) can rarely be the sole manifestation of epilepsy(4) and typically occurs in frontal lobe seizures.