ABSTRACT
@#Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with behavioural problems which may affect children’s oral health statuses. Caregivers have crucial roles in caring for these children’s oral health. Thus, this study is aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Oral Health Care for Children with ASD (OHASD) Module in improving caregivers’ tooth-brushing difficulties in children ASD. Methods: Quasi-experimental study on caregivers of children with ASD aged 7 to 12 years who were registered at the Psychiatry Clinic Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Kelantan. The sociodemographic data obtained, and behavioural problems were assessed. Tooth-brushing difficulties were evaluated at pre- and six months post-intervention using OHASD Module. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS 26.0. Results: A total of 32 Malay children with ASD including their caregivers participated in this study. Caregivers were mostly mothers (78.1%) and children were mostly boys (84.4%), with mean age (SD) of 39.1 (4.19) and 8.8 (1.52) years respectively. Parent-reported questionnaire using the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) showed 65.6% of children were highly sensitive to noises, 53.1% sometimes stared at nothing or wandered without purpose and 59.4% were unable to imitate caregivers’ faces. Significant differences between pre- and post-intervention for items; children who liked to close their mouths, turn their heads in different directions, did not understand the purpose of tooth-brushing (P<0.05). Conclusion: OHASD Module is useful in assisting caregivers in practising daily tooth-brushing of children with ASD.
ABSTRACT
@#Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopment disorder with an unidentified etiology and wide-ranging functional impact. This narrative review aimed to identify various behaviours and oral health problems among children with ASD, recognize the barriers towards oral health care, and identify the strategies for oral health care management. Online databases (Scopus, PubMed and Google Scholar) were used by using various search terms. All types of articles with different level of evidence were included. Articles which were not in English and were not available in full text were excluded. Various behavioural problems among ASD contributed to various oral healthcare challenges that lead to compromise oral health status. Caregivers and dental professionals have to identify these problems towards strategizing an effective oral health management for them. Therefore, this narrative review provide an insight towards controlling the oral health problems faced through preventative and practical approach for the chidlren with ASD.