Fear, changes in routine and dental care for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder in the COVID‐19 pandemic: A survey with Brazilian parents

Abstract

Aims This study aimed to report the perception of parents of children/adolescents with autism regarding the parents’ fear of the pandemic by COVID‐19. Also, to report children's fear about the use of individual protective equipment (IPE) in dental appointments, and the impact on the daily routine during the pandemic. Methods and Results A cross‐sectional study through an open online survey was addressed to parents of children/adolescents autistic, aged between 3 and 18 years. The questionnaire had questions regarding the parents’ fear of the COVID‐19 pandemic, the parents’ perception about the children/adolescents’ fear of the use of IPEs at dental care, and the impact of the daily routine during the pandemic and social impact after the pandemic. Parents' reports on the degree of ASD (mild, moderate, and severe) of the child/adolescent. A total of 1001 responses were obtained. 50.35% of parents had high fear of the pandemic by COVID‐19, 59.34% believe that children/teenagers will be afraid of the dentist's IPE and 61.64% responded that the COVID‐19 pandemic had a high impact on the daily routine of children/adolescents with ASD. Conclusions Most parents reported fear of the pandemic by COVID‐19, that children/adolescents with autism may be afraid of IPE and had a high impact on their daily routine during the pandemic.

Psychological Impact of COVID-19 in the Setting of Dentistry: A Review Article

“…Twenty-four studies focused on patients receiving general dental treatment [ 76 , 90 , 95 , 98 , 100 , 108 , 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 , 115 , 117 , 119 , 120 , 123 , 124 , 126 , 129 , 130 , 132 , 133 , 134 ], ten on patients under orthodontic treatment [ 96 , 102 , 104 , 105 , 116 , 118 , 125 , 128 , 136 , 137 ], six on pediatric patients [ 97 , 99 , 101 , 103 , 107 , 122 ], two on patients with temporomandibular disorders [ 106 , 135 ], one on patients under endodontic treatment [ 121 ], one on prosthodontic patients [ 131 ], and one on patients undergoing oral surgery [ 127 ].…”

The impact of parents’ fears of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on children’s visits to pediatric dental offices in Iran

“…[ 16 ] These differences in results may be caused by the different times in which the studies were performed: for example, several studies were conducted when social lockdowns were not in effect in those countries, while other studies were conducted after people had been forced to stay at home. [ 8 9 15 16 ] At the time of our study, the Khuzestan province was in a state of emergency, and the second wave of SARS-CoV-2 had already occurred,[ 17 ] which could have increased our participants’ fear. Also, younger people—specifically in the age range of 21–40 years—showed more fear of SARS-CoV-2 infection than older individuals.…”

“…Most parents reported the fear of the COVID-19 pandemic that had a high impact on their daily routine during the pandemic. [ 8 ] Also, fear may prevent people from thinking clearly and rationally when reacting to SARS-CoV-2, which influences their decisions. [ 9 ]…”

Behavioral guidance for improving dental care in autistic spectrum disorders

“…As a result, toothache is the most frequent, while routine care is the least frequent reason to visit the dentist ( 26 ). Parents/caregivers also report difficulty in tooth brushing in more than half of cases ( 27 ), a high prevalence of caries ( 28 ), and a fearful approach to dental workers, increased by COVID-19 restrictions ( 29 ). However, parents' rating of children's behavior is often inconsistent with objective observation ( 30 ); hence, it is mandatory to ask for parents' collaboration while still retaining a clinical objective assessment.…”