title: Five-year follow-up of oral health and seizure condition of patients with epilepsy: a prospective observational study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A five-year follow up of patients with epilepsy to examine the change in their oral health and seizure condition.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective observational controlled epidemiologic study under natural treatment settings.
  
  
  METHODS
  The epilepsy group consisted wholly of patients participating in an epidemiologic survey performed five years previously. The gender- and age-matched control (non-epilepsy) group consisted partly of subjects recovered from the previous study, and partly of new subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data pertaining to the disease were collected and a thorough dental examination was performed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Indices quantifying oral hygiene, the number and condition of the remaining teeth and periodontium, and the degree of prosthetic treatment were measured. Statistical comparison was performed between the patient and the control group of the present study, and pair wise between the previous and the present survey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The epileptic condition of the patients showed significant improvement upon follow-up, in contrast to a significant deterioration in their oral health as compared to the control group. Concerning oral health, dental indices describing oral hygiene and periodontal condition showed the most pronounced decline.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The improvement in the epileptic condition of patients is attributed to changes in treatment strategies. As the epileptic condition and oral health of patients changed in opposite directions, socioeconomic and educational factors appear to play a more important role in the poor oral health of these patients than disease-specific factors (e.g. oral cavity injuries, increased exertion on the teeth, antiepileptic drug effects). Furthermore, the periodontal condition seems to be main factor responsible for the unfavourable dental status.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Prosthetic Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Károlyházy
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kivovics
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hermann
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fejérdy
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Arányi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D017266:Dental Prosthesis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health; D009911:Oral Hygiene Index; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D010512:Periodontal Index; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012640:Seizures / Q000150:complications*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014072:Tooth Abrasion / Q000150:complications*