Characteristics of patients with Autistic Disorder (AD) presenting for dental treatment: a survey and chart review

Abstract

A group of 43 patients with AD (mean age, 13.5; SD, 5.9 yrs) was identified from the University Hospital School Pediatric Dentistry Clinic. We reviewed the patients' charts to obtain demographic data, dental findings, and the management techniques used for treatment. The patients were divided into groups according to Frankl's categories of behavior, ranging from definitely negative to positive. Descriptive data are provided for each group. Commonly used communications and pharmacological management techniques, as well as physical restraints, enabled us to treat all the patients in the traditional dental setting, when simple procedures were planned. Treatment under general anesthesia in the operating room was necessary in 37% of all patients when comprehensive care was required or difficult procedures were carried out. A questionnaire was also sent out to the caregivers to gather data on patients' nutrition and eating/chewing habits. In the sample surveyed, two-thirds of the individuals reportedly exhibited a normal eating pattern, while 14% pouched food. Soft, sweet, or sticky foods were preferred by 41% of the patients.

Training Adults and Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder to be Compliant with a Clinical Dental Assessment Using a TEACCH-Based Approach

“…In the pre-test, 73.7 % of children and 67.6 % of adults showed a reluctant behavior (Frankl values 1 and 2); a similar percentage to that observed initially by Lowe and Jędrychowski (1987), Klein and Nowak (1999), Chaushu and Becker (2000), Marshall et al (2008), and Subramaniam and Gupta (2011) with 70, 72, 66.6, 65, and 65 %, respectively. The rest of the studies described somewhat lower percentages of initial negative behavior in these patients (Loo et al 2008;Harada and Nishino 2005).…”

“…This scale has been used to evaluate behavior of patients with ASD on their first visit to the dentist (Klein and Nowak 1999;Loo et al 2008 (Marshall et al 2008) and, finally, to select patients for treatment under general anesthesia or sedation (Chaushu and Becker 2000;De Nova-García et al 2007).…”

Food Selectivity in Autism Spectrum Disorders

“…Consistent with this, a study focused on assessing the eating habits and intake of nutrients in children with ASDs, by Schmitt et al (2008), found that 70% of children with ASDs selected what they ate according to texture compared to 11% of children without ASD. Whiteley et al (2000) indicated an even higher rate (83%) of parents reporting that their children ate a restricted repertoire of foods, while Klein and Nowak (1999) found that just over half (53%) of their patients were unwilling to try new foods. In general, Bandini et al (2010) indicated that children with ASDs rejected food more often that DT children (41.7% of foods offered compared to 18.9%).…”

Dental Treatment in Asperger Syndrome

“…Behaviour management, including communication, and pharmacological and immobilization techniques, is necessary in order to successfully treat patients with AS [8]. According to the Frankl scale, our case was classified as "definitely negative".…”