Parental perceptions of dental health and need for treatment in children with epilepsy: a multicenter cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundEpilepsy is a common neurological disorder in childhood. However, there have been limited studies on its impact on the oral health of affected children. Our study aimed to assess the oral health of children with epilepsy in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as perceived by their mothers.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study in three hospitals. We included children 2–18 years old with physician-confirmed epilepsy diagnosis. We assessed parental perception of dental status and need for dental care using a standardized questionnaire that was completed by the mothers. To adjust for potential confounding variables, we used univariate and multivariate logistic regression.ResultsWe included 96 children with epilepsy in our study. Their mean age was 6.4±3.4 years. In 55.2% (n=53), dental status was rated as bad, and in 84.4% (n=81) a need for dental care was expressed. Cerebral palsy (OR 5.06, 95% CI 1.28–19.99; P=0.021), motor disability (OR 6.41, 95% CI 1.12–36.73; P=0.037), referral from a pediatric neurology clinic to a dentist (OR 10.755, 95% CI 3.290–35.151; P<0.001), and irregular brushing of teeth (OR 5.397, 95% CI 1.536–18.961; P=0.009) were significantly associated with increased risk of perceived bad dental status. Perception of the child as being overweight (OR 0.117, 95% CI 0.034–0.400; P=0.001) was significantly associated with decreased risk of perceived bad dental status. Motor disability (OR 5.73, 95% CI 1.64–20.04; P=0.006) was significantly associated with increased parental expression of need for dental care.ConclusionIn most children with epilepsy, perceived dental status was bad and there was a high expressed need for dental care. Interventions to improve the dental health of children with epilepsy should focus on those with cerebral palsy and motor disability.

Factors Associated with the Caregivers' Perception of the Oral Health of Individuals with Cerebral Palsy

“…The higher impairment of the general health may concern more the caregivers than the oral health problems, influencing the perception of oral health [9]. In contrast, in another study [12], 66.2% of the children and adolescents with CP-related epilepsy had their dental status classified as Pesqui. Bras.…”

“…2019; 19:e4824 bad according to the caregivers' perception. This high frequency of poor oral health is due to the presence of epilepsy, which increases in sixfold-higher odds of having oral health classified as bad [12].…”

“…In this perspective, the caregivers' perception of the oral health of children and adolescents with CP is essential and may influence the oral hygiene frequency [12], as well as the search for access and use of dental services [11,12]. Studies [13][14][15][16] indicate that socioeconomic factors, such as family income [14][15][16], and clinical conditions, such as toothache due to dental caries [13], pain during dental eruption [16], dental caries [14,15], malocclusion [15] and need for dental treatment [14], influence the caregivers' perception of the oral health of children and adolescents.…”

Examining and Treating Patients With Epilepsy Atthe Dentist’s Office (Literature Review)

“…Children diagnosed with epilepsy are frequent patients in dental clinics, and the estimated prevalence of epilepsy among those seeking dental care is 0.9%. А study by Subki A. H. suggests that 55.2% of respondents have a poor dental status, whereas 84.4% of children need dental intervention [9]. Poor dental health is largely correlated with factors like cerebral palsy, motor disability, and lack of regular brushing.…”

Management of Epileptic Patient in Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry

“…10,11 Longterm use of these medications shows different types of adverse effects which is also a major problem for these patients. 4 About 125,000 new epilepsy cases appear in each year, 30% of them are younger than age 18. 5 At the minimum of 8% of the population have one seizure attack but don't have epilepsy.…”