AWARENESS OF TREATMENT PROTOCOLS FOR EPILEPTIC PATIENTS AMONG DENTAL STUDENTS

Background: Epilepsy is a central nervous system (neurological) disorder in which the activity of the brain becomes abnormal, causing seizures or periods of unusual behavior, sensations. This needs a lifelong management of highly sedative and anti epileptic drugs like sodium valproate etc. Despite the recent advances in our understanding of the disease, the diagnosis and treatment of patients with epilepsy continue to be challenging in routine clinical practice. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge and awareness amongst the dental students on treatment protocols of patients with epilepsy among dental students. Materials and method: This survey is an online based study and was conducted among 100 students of Saveetha dental college. The questionnaire consisted of 15 questions which were based on knowledge, awareness and practices regarding epileptic treatment protocols among the dental students in Saveetha Dental College. The data was collected and statistically analysed by SPSS software. Results: Most of the students were aware of epilepsy. The knowledge on the cause of epileptic seizure is adequate (83%). There was adequate knowledge on the types of epilepsy Generalized tonic-clonic (72%), drugs of choice (sodium valproate (92%) and severe form of epilepsy (51%). Conclusion: From the results we can conclude that the dental curriculum should include opportunities for structured interaction between students and patients with epilepsy both in classrooms and in clinical settings through objective structured clinical exams.