The Assessment of Dental Students’ and Interns’ Awareness of Dealing with Epileptic Patients

Abstract

© Wroclaw Medical University and Polish Dental Society. Background. Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders. Epileptic patients demand particular healthcare, including dental treatment and proper management both during the incidence of seizures and in the dental office. Dentistry graduates should be prepared to provide appropriate treatment. Objectives. The aim of the study was to assess dental students’ and interns’ knowledge with regard to dental management of epileptic patients. Material and Methods. The survey was carried out among 200 dental students and interns from seven Polish Medical Universities. Results. Twenty six point five percent of students witnessed epileptic seizures, 50.5% faced an epileptic patient during the studies. One-third of subjects admitted that they were aware of how to provide proper dental care. Sixty four point five percent of respondents would be afraid to perform dental treatment in epileptic patients, while 8.5% would refer patient to another clinic. Sexteen percent of students would not undertake prosthetic treatment in this group of patients. Fifty point five percent of respondents would administer anesthetics without vasoconstrictor, 43% with vasoconstrictor, 3% would not anesthetize at all, and 2.5% would perform all dental procedures under general anesthesia. Most of respondents (89%) reported that this topic was discussed during the course of their studies, whereas 81% of them expressed the necessity for the wider discussion on treating patients with special needs. Conclusions. The majority of examined dental students and interns did not have appropriate knowledge on how to deal with patients with epilepsy in dental office. The results of this survey indicate that issues connected with dental treatment of epileptic patients should be raised in broader dimension during the course of studies.