Affecting over 70 million people globally, epilepsy is a disorder that may give dental professionals pause, as the treatment of patients with epilepsy can be complex and many clinicians may not feel qualified to provide sufficient care. Researchers at Umm Al-Qura University in Saudi Arabia have developed a practical reference guide for dentists who seek to be more confident in providing care to patients with epilepsy of varying severity.
Taking a multidisciplinary approach
In addition to providing suggestions for consulting with the patient’s neurologist, the guide outlines the importance of dental professionals being able to identify risk and trigger factors for their epileptic patients. In patients with poorly controlled epilepsy, trigger factors are valuable in determining what could potentially cause a seizure during dental treatment. Understanding basic epileptic treatments and being able to differentiate between different types of seizures are useful for dental treatment, particularly when attempting to estimate length of an episode that occurs during dental care and whether or not the patient requires further medical intervention.
