Dental findings in children with West syndrome.

BACKGROUND

West syndrome (WS) is a rare age-related syndrome of epilepsy. The oral manifestations of WS are still unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the oral health status and oral findings of a sample of WS children being treated at a specialized referral center.

METHODS

The dental record forms of 528 children were searched at this center. Eight of the children had been diagnosed with WS.

RESULTS

The ages of those with WS ranged from 6 months to 13 years, and 62% of them were male. All of them were taking antiepileptic medication. Twenty-five percent of them had tongue interposition between the dental arches and a deep palate. The mean DMFT was .25 and dmft was 1.12.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with WS seem to have low caries experience, can have a deep palate, and may have their tongue positioned between the arches or on the incisive papilla.