The Significance of Brain Damage in Persistent Oral Dyskinesia

Abstract

In the last ten years there have been a number of studies reporting an association between certain persistent oral dyskinesias in elderly people (particularly women) and prolonged medication with phenothiazines. Many of the cases described in these studies also showed some evidence of brain damage and because of this it has often been suggested that brain damage is an important contributory cause of oral dyskinesia. Buccal factors such as the edentulous state have also been incriminated (Joyston-Bechal, 1965; Evans, 1965). However, very few controlled studies have been carried out. The literature on this subject has been well reviewed by Crane (1968) and Kline (1968).