Oral state of children with epilepsy on treatment with sodium valproate

The aim of the study was, due to two recent reports about gingival and mucosal lesions, to survey the frequency of intraoral side effects in connection with sodium valproate treatment in epileptics. All patients on this drug treatment available at the University Hospital in Linköping, Sweden - in all 10 children, aged 8-14 - with absence seizures (simple petit mal), and treated for 1 to 4 yr, constituted a treatment group. Untreated age-matched, newly diagnosed epileptics constituted a comparison group. In each individual the oral hygiene state, gingival and periodontal condition, mucosal condition, caries prevalence, saliva secretion rate, salivary buffer capacity and lactobacillus count were estimated. The results revealed no divergences in the treated as compared with the untreated individuals which could be regarded as intraoral side effects deriving from the drug treatment.