Temporal lobe epilepsy: its association with psychiatric impairment and appropriate dental management

Temporal lobe seizures are manifested by aberrant experiences, automatic behavior, or both. In addition, approximately 40% of the patients who have had the disease for more than 15 years exhibit significant personality disorders, mood changes, or psychoses in the periods between seizures (interictal phase). Recognition that these characterologic manifestations are components of the underlying neurologic disorder allows for a more rational approach to the provision of dental care.