Epilepsy Campaign Reaches Parliament as MP Champions #FixItForFree

The Epilepsy Society’s campaign for free dental was raised in the House of Commons this week, with an MP challenging the Government over the financial penalties facing people with epilepsy.

During a Parliamentary debate on NHS dentistry, Yasmin Qureshi MP highlighted the Epilepsy Society’s #FixItForFree campaign, which calls for a medical exemption to cover dental trauma caused directly by seizures.

Current NHS policy creates an unjust penalty for a medical condition. Patients are repeatedly paying thousands of pounds to repair teeth broken during seizures, only to face the same costs again after their next seizure. Unlike a broken arm or leg which is treated free of charge in the NHS, broken teeth caused by the exact same seizure incur significant private or NHS charges.

The Epilepsy Society found that over two-thirds of people with epilepsy who responded to their survey in 2023 had broken or chipped their teeth during a seizure, and 58% had faced dental repairs they could not afford.

The debate highlighted the reality for patients like 29-year-old Harriet who experiences one to two tonic-clonic seizures every month, frequently breaking bones and damaging her teeth. She now has six missing teeth, including both her top and bottom front teeth. This severe damage heavily affects her speech and makes eating difficult. While Harriet previously used NHS dentures, she broke them three times in a single year during seizures. Her dentist has refused to issue another set.

The Epilepsy Society is urging the Government to introduce a medical exemption for dental repairs required as a direct result of a seizure.

You can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2Aio-70UCk