Objectives: To assess and compare the oral health status of children with and without autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in China.Methods: This study recruited 144 children with ASD and 228 unrelated children with typical development (TD) aged 3-16 years from China. Data were collected using parentreported questionnaires. Oral problems (oral symptoms and habits), oral health measures (oral hygiene practice and dental care experience), and the impact on the child's quality of life (based on a modified version of the Parental-Caregiver Perception Questionnaire) were assessed and compared between the two groups.Results: Children with ASD had worse oral health status than children with TD. Oral symptoms were more prevalent in the ASD group, especially halitosis (p < 0.001), food impaction (p < 0.001), and oral lesions (p < 0.001), than the TD group. The rate of damaging oral habits, including mouth breathing (p < 0.001) and object biting (p < 0.05), was also high in the ASD group. Compared with the TD group, more children with ASD did not brush their teeth independently and frequently (p < 0.001), had difficulty accessing dental care (p < 0.01), and reported unpleasant dental experiences (p < 0.001). The presence of ASD was associated with decreased oral health-related quality of life (p < 0.001) in these children and their families. Conclusion:Oral problems such as halitosis and bad oral habits are more prevalent among children with ASD. These children also lack oral hygiene practice and dental visits. This situation negatively impacts their quality of life, and must be brought to the attention of their treating dentists.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate histologically in beagle dogs the healing in acute dehiscence type defects following treatment with open flap debridement (OFD) with or without porous biphasic calcium phosphate (PBCP). Alveolar bone dehiscence defects were surgically created bilaterally at the labial aspects of maxillary third incisors in 12 beagle dogs. After root conditioning with ethylenediaminetetraacetate, PBCP was filled in the defects and the contralaterals were cured with OFD. Two fluorochrome labelings were administered at the 7th and 11th weeks, respectively. Four dogs were killed at the 12, 16, and 24 weeks, respectively. Histological observations were processed through microcomputed tomographic imaging, fluorescence microscope, and light microscopy. The formation of new regenerated tissues was assessed histomorphometrically. The results revealed the healing after treatments with PBCP evidenced a new attachment apparatus and that with OFD supported periodontal repair. In PBCP groups, the amount of new bone varied from 1.15 to 3.86 mm (23-77.2% of the original defect size), while only 0.3 to 1.04 mm (6-20.8%) in OFD group. The amount of new cementum in PBCP varied from 1.18 to 4.16 mm (23.6-82.3%), while only 0.67 to 1.15 mm (13.4-23%) in OFD group. The amount of periodontal ligament in PBCP varied from 1.03 to 4.12 mm (20.6-82.4%), while only 0 to 0.93 mm (0-18.6%) in OFD group. There was significantly more regenerated tissue in PBCP groups compared to OFD procedures (p < 0.01). The present results indicate that PBCP may enhance periodontal regeneration in acute-type labial dehiscence defects.

Regeneration of lost periodontium is the focus of periodontal therapy. To achieve the effective regeneration, a number of bone graft substitute materials have been developed. This study aimed to investigate the histological response in alveolar bone dehiscences which were filled with an improved biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) ceramic with more reasonable pore diameter, pore wall thickness and porosity. Twenty-four alveolar bone dehiscences were made surgically in twelve beagle dogs by reflecting mucoperiosteal flaps on the buccal aspect of bilateral lower second premolars and removing alveolar bone. The left dehiscences were treated with BCP ceramic and the contralaterals were cured with the open flap debridement (OFD) as controls. Three dogs were used at week 4, 12, and 24 respectively. Histological observations were processed through three-dimensional micro-computed tomographic imaging, fluorescence and light microscopy. The histological study indicated that the biphasic ceramic was biocompatible, and regeneration was achieved more effectively through the BCP treatment. There were also arrest of epithelial migration apically and formation of new bone and cementum, as well as proliferation of fibrous connective tissues that became attached to the newly formed cementum at week 24, while there was no significant periodontal regeneration in the OFD group only with epithelial tissue migrating into the dehiscence regions. Clinically speaking, though the surgical location formed a limitation to the application of the improved BCP on the periodontal regeneration, the actual result was positive. It proved that the BCP had biocompatibility and was able to act as a stable scaffold to induce periodontal regeneration effectively.

No abstract

The oral microbiota has been implicated in various neurologic conditions, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a category of neurodevelopmental disorders defined by core behavioral impairments. Recent data propose the etiopathogenetic role of intestinal microbiota in ASD. The aim of the present study was to elucidate whether the oral microbiota contributes to the pathogenesis of ASD. On the basis of microbial changes detected in the oral cavity of children with ASD, we transferred oral microbiota from donors with ASD and typical development (TD) into an antibiotic-mediated microbiota-depleted mouse model and found that the ASD microbiota is sufficient to induce ASD-like behaviors, such as impaired social behavior. Mice receiving oral microbiota from the ASD donor showed significantly different microbiota structures in their oral cavity and intestinal tract as compared with those receiving TD microbiota and those not receiving any bacterium. The prefrontal cortex of ASD microbiota recipient mice displayed an alternative transcriptional profile with significant upregulation of serotonin-related gene expression, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, and TGF-β signaling pathway relative to that in TD microbiota recipient mice. The expression of serotonin-related genes was significantly increased in ASD microbiota recipient mice and was associated with selective autistic behaviors and changes in abundance of specific oral microbiota, including species of Bacteroidetes [G-7], Porphyromonas, and Tannerella. Machine learning based on the causal inference method confirmed a contributing role of Porphyromonas sp. HMT 930 in ASD. Taken together, the oral microbiota of children with ASD can lead to ASD-like behaviors, differences in microbial community structures, and altered neurosignaling activities in recipient mice; this highlights the mouth-microbial-brain connections in the development of neuropathology and provides a novel strategy to fully understand the etiologic mechanism of ASD.