Oral health-care practices and dental assistance management strategies for people with autism spectrum disorder: An integrative literature review

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder requires a careful approach from professionals and a favorable clinical environment for dental care and assistance. This article aims To perform a literature review about oral health among people with autism spectrum disorder and dental management strategies for this group. An integrative literature review was carried out in three databases, associating the descriptors: (autism or autism spectrum disorder) with (oral health or oral diseases) and (dental care or dental services). After identification and screening steps, 32 articles were included in the study. The most prevalent subjects were oral health conditions, parents’ understanding and practical attitudes about oral health, treatment and management strategies, and the use of technology. The principal barriers to dental care were the scarcity of specialized professionals, unpreparedness in the referral system, poor accessibility of the clinics, and lack of specific care protocols. The world literature on the subject is scarce, and there is still a need for investment and scientific production due to the incidence of autism in the world population and the maintenance of difficulties and barriers in offering quality health care to this group. Lay abstract Autism spectrum disorder requires a more careful approach from oral health professionals and a favorable clinical environment related to dental care and assistance. This article has the objective to perform a literature review about the oral health-care knowledge and practices in people with autism spectrum disorder, as well as the characteristics of dental care for this group. It was carried out in three articles databases, associating descriptors such as autism or autism spectrum disorder; oral health or oral diseases; dental care or dental services. We identified 32 articles. The most prevalent subjects were oral health conditions, treatment strategies, parents’ understanding and practical attitudes about oral health, management, and use of technology to improve oral health care. The principal barriers to people with autism spectrum disorder to access dental care were the scarcity of specialized professionals, unpreparedness in the referral system, poor accessibility of the clinics, and lack of specific care protocols. The world literature on the subject is scarce, and there is still a need for investment and scientific production due to the incidence of autism in the world population and the maintenance of difficulties and barriers in offering quality health care to this group.

Investigation of Dental and Oral Health in Children and Adolescents with Special Support Needs from a Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Perspective

“…Causes for the poorer oral health status in CA-SN, from an international dental perspective, include irregular dental hygiene, often stereotypical unhealthy eating habits, decreased cooperation, a lack of dentists trained in special care dentistry, the absence of barrier-free clinics and the lack of specialized treatment concepts [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 26 , 27 ]. These dental perspectives align with the data gathered from the CAPPS and the national dental perspectives, mentioned in the introduction.…”

“…The survey illustrates that there is indeed an overlap between CAPPS and dentists in the explanatory approaches to poorer dental and oral health in CA-SN, referring to, for example, behavioral causes, illness-related causes and communication barriers [ 22 , 24 , 26 , 27 ]. Furthermore, the collected data cautiously suggest that CAPPS, in addition to the poorer dental and oral health status of CA-SN, tend to identify familial or psychosocial factors, such as the overwhelming of caregivers or the low priority given to dental health, while the dental profession is more likely to point out structural deficits, such as the lack of continuing education and training, the lack of research or the lack of financial incentives [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 26 , 27 ].…”

Public Dental Service Access Policies for People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil: A Pre-Evaluation Study

“…Although there is no direct relationship between autism and oral diseases, individuals with ASD may have worse oral health conditions than those found in the general population [23][24][25]. They are at a greater risk of developing oral diseases, such as caries and periodontal disease, and early diagnosis is essential to provide more appropriate therapeutic approaches [26].…”