Special care dentistry and epilepsy

Abstract

The dental team should understand the nature of epilepsy and how the antiepileptic agents negatively affect oral and dental health. This helps to reduce the stigma developed by dentists to deal with epileptic patients and deliver safe dental treatment. It is also crucial for the dental team to help prevent the development of seizures by obtaining a thorough medical history and providing an easy and comfortable environment. Uncontrolled epileptic patients with acute dental pain and even controlled epileptic patients with either acute or chronic dental pain might develop attacks that require prompt management by the dental team. Accordingly, the dental team should anticipate seizures at any time during treatment. Implementing a clear pathway for the management of seizures in dental clinics by providing regular training courses to the dental team will help to build confidence in managing people with epilepsy.