Oral health evaluation of autistics in a reference institution

Autism is a complex developmental disorder with multiple etiologies and varying degrees of severity. The essential characteristics of Autistic Disorder are the presence of a compromised development in social interaction, communication. Regarding oral health, autistics have a high prevalence of caries and periodontal disease, factors related to their cariogenic diet and difficulties in oral hygiene, which are common in special patients. The objective of this research is to describe and analyze the oral health of these patients, as well as to identify the main oral diseases of patients with autism accompanied by the Association of mothers and friends of autistic people in Parnaíba City, Piauí, Brazil. This is a descriptive cross-sectional research, developed through a questionnaire applied to parents or guardians about behaviors, diet, medications, oral health routine and clinical examination of the assisted children. For data storage and extraction, SQLYOG software was used, then the data were exported to the Microsoft Excel program, proceeding with the descriptive analysis. There was a higher proportion of males, poor oral hygiene and presence of parafunctional habits. For a more humanized and comprehensive approach, patients needed multidisciplinary and specialized treatment. The data obtained by the research provided crucial information for development of improvements about the autistics oral health in Parnaíba city, contributing to the life quality of these patients.