Open AccessChildren with autism spectrum disorder at a dental appointment: problems, behavioral characteristics, recommendations
Author(s) -
А. S. Dontsova,
О. В. Гуленко,
E. A. Skatova
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
stomatologiâ detskogo vozrasta i profilaktika
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1726-7218
pISSN - 1683-3031
DOI - 10.33925/1683-3031-2021-21-3-182-189
Subject(s) - autism spectrum disorder , autism , medline , medicine , dental care , behavior management , oral hygiene , family medicine , psychiatry , clinical psychology , psychology , dentistry , developmental psychology , political science , law
Relevance . Dental care is one of the principal unmet health needs of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Based on the available publications, the study discusses the dental profile of a child with autism and the social factors affecting the oral health of such children. Materials and methods . A search was performed of publications for the 15 years in the Medline database using the terms autism”, behavior management/techniques”, child”, dental care for children with other abilities”, dental education”, dental disease”, pediatric dentistry” to find relevant publications. Results . In the found publications, the authors most frequently mention poor oral hygiene. However, they disagree regarding the caries occurrence rate in children with ASD. Insufficient specialized training of dentists on interaction with special children may be one of the reasons for the limited access to dental care. Conclusions . Dental treatment of an autistic child requires a thorough knowledge of comorbidity, relevant behavioral management and customization of treatment protocols according to individual needs. The effectiveness, safety and rationale of the known dental treatment strategies for children with ASD require further study and improvement.