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Frontiers in dental medicine
By Yerkibayeva Z, Yermukhanova G, Saduakasova K and 4 others.
This study aimed to characterize oral health status, oral hygiene practices, and caregiver-reported dental care experiences among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and to describe caregiver awareness and practices related to oral care.
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This descriptive cross-sectional pilot study included 53 children aged 3-18 years with a confirmed ASD diagnosis recruited from the "Autism Pobedim" rehabilitation center in Almaty. Clinical examinations assessed caries using the DMFT/dmft and CAST indices and oral hygiene using the OHI-S index. A study-specific 36-item caregiver questionnaire collected information on home oral hygiene, dental care experiences, and selected developmental characteristics.
Only 24.5% of children brushed their teeth twice daily, and most required parental assistance. Overall, 30.2% had never visited a dentist, while 58.5% of caregivers reported major difficulties during dental visits. Reported management approaches in the sample included physical restraint, sedation, and general anesthesia. Overall, 39.6% of children had received completed dental treatment. In addition, 71.7% consumed sweets between meals and only 17.0% rinsed their mouths after eating. Although 75.5% of caregivers reported checking toothpaste composition, professional guidance on oral hygiene was limited.
In this single-center sample, children with ASD had a substantial burden of dental caries, suboptimal home oral hygiene, limited independent oral care, and caregiver-reported challenges during dental treatment. These exploratory findings support larger multicenter studies and further evaluation of tailored preventive, caregiver-education, and behavior-support strategies for children with ASD in Kazakhstan.
Published in Frontiers in dental medicine. The abstract is shown as published and remains the work of its authors; read the full article at the source.
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