Types of dental procedures provided to adults with autism spectrum condition: A descriptive study

To investigate demographic and systemic health characteristics, and the types of dental procedures performed for adults with autism that had sought care at a dental school.

De-identified data were collected from the records of patients aged 18+ who have self-reported autism. Each patient's age, gender, BMI, mental health, heart disease, xerostomia, tobacco use, alcohol use, diabetes, use of drugs, seizures, and total number of medications, as well as the type and number of dental codes used in the care of that patient within each code category were included as variables.

The sample was composed by 244 patients. Mean age was 29.8 years (±12.3), 64.8% were males, and mean BMI was 29.9 (±8.1). Mental health condition was reported by 79.9%, heart disease by 25.4%, xerostomia by 21.7%, 20.9% reported using tobacco, 18.9% reported using alcohol, 14.8% reported having diabetes, 10.2% reported using drugs, and 3.7% reported having seizures. The median number of dental procedures per patient was nine, and exams, preventive, operative, and surgical procedures were the most common ones.

Adult patients with autism were overweight/obese young males. Most common dental procedures were exams, followed by preventive, operative, and surgical procedures.