The Influence of Antiepileptic Drugs Alteration as Adjunctive Therapy of Drug Induced Gingival Enlargement among Epileptic Patients in Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia

Background: Drug induced gingival enlargement is a common clinical finding among epileptic patients who are under medical care. This gingival enlargement is generally managed by different methods as scaling and polishing, surgical or substitution of drugs etc. So this study was designed to evaluate the influence of antiepileptic drugs alteration as adjunctive therapy of drug induced gingival enlargement among epileptic patients in Aseer region, Saudi Arabia.

Materials and Methods: The present study was done on thirty epileptic patients (10 patients per group) between the ages of 15 and 52 years with gingival enlargement which were treated using scaling and polishing (SP) alone in group I addition chlorhexidine digluconate 0.2% in group II and alteration of drugs in group III. Plaque index (PLI), gingival index (GI) and gingival overgrowth (GO) scores were evaluated at baseline, 3 weeks and 6 weeks after therapy, then tabulated and compared statistically using SPSS and the various in proportions was calculated using Chi-square test. Statistical significance (P < 0.05) was detected in PLI, GI, GO score between baseline, 4 weeks, and 6 weeks. Friedman Test and Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test were carried out to account the significant differences.

Results: There were improvement in all clinical findings among epileptic patients in all study groups in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd visit, but the improvement was most evident among the patients of group III that were treated by SP and alteration of anti epileptic drugs.

Conclusions: Professional and self-plaque control also the alteration of antiepileptic drugs might be a useful in the management of drug induced gingival enlargement, consequently diminishing the necessity of surgical therapy.