A medical expert, Dr Shola Aina of Lifecare Hospital, Ilorin has warned against inserting hard objects into the mouths of convulsing patients.
Aina told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Ilorin that the insertion of hard objects in the mouth of a convulsing person to stop teeth clenching does more harm than good.
He said it could dislodge the dentures (teeth), cause aspirations or even death, as against the perceived dangers of clenching of teeth, which never kills.
NAN reports that convulsion is a medical condition where body muscles contract and relax rapidly and repeatedly, resulting in an uncontrolled actions of the body.
The physician, therefore, advised that ”the first thing to do once seizure is noticed, is to ensure that the environment is safe, and not try to restrain the victim as it can cause fracture.
”Lay the person down on a flat surface and remove all tight clothings around the head or neck, like ties or necklace, and check if the victim is still breathing.
”Make sure the victim is in a relaxed position and move to the hospital as soon as possible for proper evaluation,” he advised.
He identified high fever as one of major causes of convulsion in children within the ages of 6 months to five years.
”High fever, birth trauma, or low blood sugar are among the causes of convulsion. But to ascertain the cause in a particular victim, it is necessary to visit the hospital even after the convulsion has stopped, to ascertain the underlying cause.
”Ascertaining the cause will make the parent or caregiver know the symptoms to watch out for, and things to avoid, so as not to trigger it again,” Aina said.