Tooth Brushing Linked to Epilepsy

Around 3% to 4% of people suffer from epilepsy at some stage of their life, making it a fairly common condition. Epilepsy is a neurological condition that is characterised by recurrent, unprovoked epileptic seizures. These seizures are signs of abnormal or excessive neuronal activity in the brain. An epileptic seizure can cause changes in sensation, awareness, and behaviour, or sometimes convulsions, muscle spasms or loss of consciousness, depending on where the seizure starts and spreads in the brain. Seizures can last a few seconds to a few minutes. Most seizures are over in less than three minutes.

There are many causes of epileptic seizures and a recent study suggests that the repetitive nature of teeth brushing can be a cause:

Tooth brushing can induce seizures in people with epilepsy, a new case study of three people with the condition has found.

“Brushing your teeth is very rhythmic. Our idea is that it causes a rhythmic over-activity in the brain, which feeds back on itself – similar to the effect of strobe lighting on people with photosensitive epilepsy,” says neurologist Wendyl D’Souza of St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne

Thankfully, seizures brought on by teeth brushing are very rare:

Seizures bought on by a benign stimulus such as tooth brushing, reading or strobe lighting – called “reflex” seizures – are rare, D’Souza notes.

Tooth brushing seizures can last up to 90 seconds:

The tooth-brushing seizures were smaller and included jerking of the mouth, eyes, and face; tongue cramping; and excessive salivation, lasting for up to 90 seconds.

Although epilepsy is not curable, it can can generally be treated with medication or in some circumstances, with surgery.