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Published on: October 3, 2018
Dental survey of institutionalized children with autistic disorder
Gagandeep Mohinderpal Chadha1, Pradnya Kakodkar2, Vishwas Chaugule3
1Department of Community Dentistry, Dr DY Patil Dental College Pimpri, Maharashtra, India.
Insights
This study found that institutionalized children with autism have poor oral hygiene and high rates of dental caries, often due to frequent between-meal sugar intake. These findings highlight the need for targeted oral health programs for this population.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Dentistry
- Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Public Health
Background:
- Autistic children often have unique challenges impacting their oral health.
- Institutionalized populations require specific attention for healthcare needs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate oral hygiene, diet, and dental caries in institutionalized children with autism.
- To identify oral health needs for program planning.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 35 autistic children (ages 5-10) in Maharashtra, India.
- Parental interviews for oral hygiene practices and 4-day diet charts.
- Clinical examination using WHO dentition status and simplified oral hygiene index.
Main Results:
- High frequency of 'in-between' meal sugar exposure (more than 3 times/day).
- Poor oral hygiene with significant soft debris and calculus.
- Mean caries experience (deft) of 6.4.
Conclusions:
- Institutionalized autistic children exhibit poor oral hygiene and high caries experience.
- Dietary patterns, particularly frequent sugar intake, contribute to poor oral health.
- Baseline data supports the development of tailored oral healthcare programs.
Abstract:
The objective of this study was to assess the oral hygiene practices, dietary pattern, dental caries status and needs of institutionalized autistic children. The sample consisted of 35 children (28 males and 7 females) in the age group of 5 to 10 years from two institutions in Maharashtra, India. The parents of the children were interviewed regarding oral hygiene practices of their respective ward and instructed to maintain a 4-day diet chart for their children. A clinical examination was conducted using WHO dentition status and treatment needs index and a simplified oral hygiene index for ages 4 to 6 years and 7 to 10 years (deciduous and mixed dentition) was used to assess the oral hygiene. The results of diet chart analysis according to Nizel AE and Papas AS score showed the 'at meal' sugar exposure close to nil, while the 'in between' meal sugar exposure was observed to be more than three times per day among maximum children. The oral hygiene status was poor with abundance of soft debris and fair calculus accumulation. The mean caries experience (deft) in these children was 6.4. The present study provided baseline data which has been used for planning a comprehensive oral health care program. How to cite this article: Chadha GM, Kakodkar P, Chaugule V, Nimbalkar V. Dental Survey of Institutionalized Children with Autistic Disorder. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2012;5(1):29-32.
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