Autism Spectrum Disorder in oral health

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is not characterized by specific oral alterations, but those who suffer from it usually present more oral pathology than healthy patients of a similar age. The dental situation will largely depend on daily hygiene and diet. You have to look for signs of dental erosion, bruxism that can appear in 20-25%, and cavities.

Patients and method. A retrospective and cross-sectional study was carried out. 37 patients with a diagnosis of ASD aged 6 to 17 years were reviewed. The objective of this work was to study this population looking for the prevalence of caries and bruxism as well as dental hygiene and cariogenic diet. Descriptive statistics were performed.

Results. There were 23 cases of autism (62.16%), three of Asperger's syndrome (8.10%) and nine of Pervasive Developmental Disorder (24.32%). The average cod/DAFT was 6.89. Bruxism appeared in 18 patients (48.64%). 51.30% brushed regularly; brushing was irregular in 45.94%. It was found that 11 patients had a cariogenic diet (29.72%), and that 23 children did not (62.16%).

Conclusion. The prevalence of cavities and bruxism is high among children with ASD in the study, despite regular brushing and a non-cariogenic diet.