الفهرس 
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Abstract
Summary
Epileptic seizures constitute one of the most common neurological disorders affecting children. Commonly prescribed anti-epileptic medications used for controlling seizure attacks could be associated with oral side effects such as gingivitis, gingival hyperplasia and xerostomia.
The current study was conducted to establish base line data on oral health behaviors and assess common oral health problems among a group of Egyptian epileptic children. The study also aimed to assess and compare the effectiveness of two different educational programs on changing oral health habits of those children.
A total of 100 children suffering from idiopathic epilepsy with age range from 6 to 12 years were randomly selected to participate in the present study. The patients were recruited from outpatient Pediatrics clinic of the Neurology Department, Al Demerdash Hospital, Ain Shams University. A control group comprised of 80 subjects was selected from among siblings of epileptic children such that they matched the target population with respect to age, gender and social living conditions. Before enrolling in the study, all subjects and their parents were given oral and written information on the study and written informed consent was obtained from the parents/guardians of the eligible subjects.
Data on oral hygiene measures regarding tooth brushing, brushing after AEDs intake and dietary habits was collected using a structured detailed standardized questionnaire. Thorough clinical examination was performed by one operator for all patients throughout the study using plain mouth mirrors and sickle-shaped probes under natural light.
Dental caries experience was assessed using the dmft index for primary dentition, deft for the mixed dentition and DMFT index for permanent dentition. Gingival index (GI) and Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (SOHI) were used to determine the degree of gingival inflammation and degree of oral cleanliness respectively. Gingival hyperplasia was inspected and recorded as well. Presence of trauma to soft or hard tissues was detected using the WHO classification of trauma and the degree of tooth abrasion was recorded separately for the upper and lower first permanent molars and the lower central permanent incisors in permanent and mixed dentition stages. All patients were also asked if they suffered from xerostomia, halitosis or oral ulcers.
The results of the present study revealed that epileptic children exhibited worse oral health habits and attitudes than their healthy siblings. Epileptic children were more liable to suffer from xerostomia and were at higher risk to develop dental caries. Moreover, a statistically significant difference was detected between epileptic children and matched healthy siblings with respect to gingival health.
On studying the effects of the two proposed oral health educational programs, game-based educational program was found to be more effective in improving both oral hygiene of children as measured by SOHI and their gingival health as measured by GI after 6 months.
Though there was a statistically significant change in frequency of snacks intake where number of snacks decreased among children in both groups, no statistically significant change was detected between both groups with respect to tooth brushing