Dental care for children with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Background: Providing dental treatment for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) represents a challenge for dentists. In the dental care of such children, the treatment plans implemented are usually determined by several factors, including: the type of autism spectrum disorder, the degree of patient cooperation, dentist/patient communication, the required treatment, self-care skills and parental/dentist support. Purpose: The purpose of this case report was to report the dental care delivered in the cases of two pediatric patients with ASD. Case 1: A 10.7 year-old boy with a nonverbal form of ASD who was experiencing recurrent pain in his lower left posterior tooth and also presented a blackened tooth. Case 2: A 9.6 year-old boy with a nonverbal form of ASD suffering from numerous painful cavities. Case management 1: On the day of the first visit, the boy was the subject of several behavioral observations. During the day of the second visit, he underwent a brief intraoral examination at a dental unit in order to arrive at a temporary diagnosis before appropriate was decided upon treatment in consultation with his parents. The implemented treatment plans comprised dental extraction and preventive restoration under general anesthesia. Case management 2: On the first visit, the boy underwent behavioral observations followed by early intraoral examination involving physical restraint approach. During the second visit, several treatment plans such as: general anesthesia, tooth extraction, restoration, and pulp-capping treatment were formulated. Conclusion: It can be concluded that general anesthesia was considered an appropriate dental treatment plan since the two patients in question were extremely co-operative during the necessary procedures. In other words, pediatric dental care treatment plans in cases of ASD should be determined by clearly-defined criteria, specifically the benefits and risks of the treatment plans for the safety of both patient and dental care team.

Oral health-care practices and dental assistance management strategies for people with autism spectrum disorder: An integrative literature review

“…Following the proposed methodology, 32 articles were selected (see Figure 1). The selected studies discussed (see Table 1): oral health conditions of ASD people (AlHammad et al, 2020; Blomqvist et al, 2014; Chandrashekhar & Bommangoudar, 2018; Corridore et al, 2020; David Amaral et al, 2016; Ferrazzano et al, 2020; Hage et al, 2020; Mansoor et al, 2018; McKinney et al, 2014; Onol & Kırzıoğlu, 2018; Orellana et al, 2019; Radović et al, 2018), dental treatment strategies for this group (AlHammad et al, 2020; Cermak et al, 2015; Corridore et al, 2020; Delli et al, 2013; Duker et al, 2019; Ferrazzano et al, 2020; Hage et al, 2020; Onol & Kırzıoğlu, 2018; Widyagarini & Suharsini, 2017), understanding and practices of parents and/or guardians in oral health care (AlHammad et al, 2020; Blomqvist et al, 2014, 2015; Cagetti et al, 2015; David Amaral et al, 2016; Floríndez et al, 2019; Hage et al, 2020; Mansoor et al, 2018; Thomas et al, 2017; Widyagarini & Suharsini, 2017), oral health management of these individuals (Alshatrat et al, 2020; Blomqvist et al, 2015; Chandrashekhar & Bommangoudar, 2018; Corridore et al, 2020; David Amaral et al, 2016; Duker et al, 2019; Hage et al, 2020; Mansoor et al, 2018; Udhya et al, 2014; Widyagarini & Suharsini, 2017; Wiener et al, 2016), barriers and challenges faced by parents/caregivers in seeking dental care (Chandrashekhar & Bommangoudar, 2018; Corridore et a...…”

“…It is noteworthy that all health professionals, family members, and caregivers should be involved in this goal, attentive, informed, and motivated in oral health issues. It is also necessary to ensure greater access to the dental services network concerning logistics, professional training, or economic terms (Corridore et al, 2020; Widyagarini & Suharsini, 2017).…”

“…It is noteworthy that the presence of parents/guardians in the dental clinic can help increase the confidence and cooperation of these clients and contribute to the acquisition of knowledge in oral health (Widyagarini & Suharsini, 2017).…”

Oral Health Assessment of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Literature Review

“…Maintenance of dental and oral hygiene of children with autism is important to maintain the health of their oral cavity. Uncooperative and aggressive behavior during dental treatment has the potential to inhibit, change, or reduce access to care for children with autism [22]. According to Lawrence Green, behavior is influenced by three factors, namely predisposing factors which include knowledge and attitudes, enabling factors which include the availability of facilities and infrastructure or health facilities, and reinforcing factors which include behavior and attitudes.…”

The Difference of Dental Anxiety Levelon Healthcare and Non-Healthcare Students

“…If someone experiences dental anxiety, they will certainly avoid and refuse to check the condition of their teeth 4,5 . This can adversely affect the health of the oral cavity, such as tooth loss, dental caries and poor periodontal tissue conditions 6 .…”