UCSF

INTRODUCTION: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by challenges in social interaction, communication, and stereotypical patterns of behavior. They are more likely to have tooth brushing issues and need help with routine dental care. Children with ASD could face difficulty is accessing dental care as the parents have a challenging task in finding a dentist that would treat the child with special needs. As a result, dental care is often neglected. The aim of this study was to evaluate oral hygiene practice and challenges in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and compare it with typically developing peers (TDP).

METHOD: Parents of children aged 3-10 were recruited with 30 in each group. Age and gender of children were matched. Parents were asked to complete the questionnaire which asked about their demographic information, child’s oral care regimen, and their knowledge about dental care. Chi-squared tests were used to compare the distribution of categorical variables between the two groups, and unpaired t-tests for comparing means between the two groups.

RESULTS: 47% of children with ASD had to travel more than 20 miles for their dental home compared to 13% with TDP(P<.05). Only 60% of ASD patients brushed twice a day with 70 % of parent reporting it is difficult to brush their child’s teeth compared to TDP where they 93% of children brush twice daily with ease(P<.05). Significantly a smaller number of children with ASD (47%) allowed their parent to brush their teeth compared with 93% of TSD children(P<.001).

CONCLUSION: Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder travel longer distance to find a dental home and face difficulty in maintaining their child’s oral hygiene.