Dental care protocol based on visual supports for children with autism spectrum disorders
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Maria Grazia Cagetti [1] ; Stefano Mastroberardino [1] ; Guglielmo Campus [2] ; Benedetta Olivari [1] ; Raffaella Faggioli [1] ; Carlo Lenti [1] ; Laura Strohmenger [1]
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[1] University of Milan
University of Milan
Milán, Italia
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[2] University of Sassari
University of Sassari
Sassari, Italia
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- Localización: Medicina oral, patología oral y cirugía bucal. Ed. inglesa, ISSN-e 1698-6946, Vol. 20, Nº. 5, 2015
- Idioma: inglés
- Enlaces
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Resumen
Background : Subjects with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) have often difficulties to accept dental treatments.
The aim of this study is to propose a dental care protocol based on visual supports to facilitate children with ASDs to undergo to oral examination and treatments.
Material and Methods : 83 children (age range 6-12 years) with a signed consent form were enrolled; intellectual level, verbal fluency and cooperation grade were evaluated. Children were introduced into a four stages path in or der to undergo: an oral examination (stage 1), a professional oral hygiene session (stage 2), sealants (stage 3), and, if necessary, a restorative treatment (stage 4). Each stage came after a visual training, performed by a psychologist (stage 1) and by parents at home (stages 2, 3 and 4). Association between acceptance rates at each stage and gender, intellectual level, verbal fluency and cooperation grade was tested with chi-square test if appropriate.
Results: Seventy-seven (92.8%) subjects overcame both stage 1 and 2. Six (7.2%) refused stage 3 and among the 44 subjects who need restorative treatments, only three refused it. The acceptance rate at each stage was statistically significant associated to the verbal fluency ( p =0.02;
p =0.04;
p =0.01, respectively for stage 1, 3 and 4). In stage 2 all subjects accepted to move to the next stage. The verbal/intellectual/cooperation dummy variable was statistically associated to the acceptance rate ( p <0.01).
Conclusions: The use of visual supports has shown to be able to facilitate children with ASDs to undergo dental treatments even in non-verbal children with a low intellectual level, underlining that behavioural approach should be used as the first strategy to treat patients with ASDs in dental setting.
