Addressing dental fear in children with autism spectrum disorders: a randomized controlled pilot study using electronic screen media.

BACKGROUND: Dental care is a significant unmet health care need for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Many children with ASD do not receive dental care because of fear associated with dental procedures; oftentimes they require general anesthesia for regular dental procedures, placing them at risk of associated complications. Many children with ASD have a strong preference for visual stimuli, particularly electronic screen media. The use of visual teaching materials is a fundamental principle in designing educational programs for children with ASD. PURPOSE: To determine if an innovative strategy using 2 types of electronic screen media was feasible and beneficial in reducing fear and uncooperative behaviors in children with ASD undergoing dental visits. METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled trial at Boston Children's Hospital dental clinic. Eighty (80) children aged 7 to 17 years with a known diagnosis of ASD and history of dental fear were enrolled in the study. Each child completed 2 preventive dental visits that were scheduled 6 months apart (visit 1 and visit 2). After visit 1, subjects were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups: (1) group A, control (usual care); (2) group B, treatment (video peer modeling that involved watching a DVD recording of a typically developing child undergoing a dental visit); (3) group C, treatment (video goggles that involved watching a favorite movie during the dental visit using sunglass-style video eyewear); and (4) group D, treatment (video peer modeling plus video goggles). Subjects who refused or were unable to wear the goggles watched the movie using a handheld portable DVD player. During both visits, the subject's level of anxiety and behavior were measured using the Venham Anxiety and Behavior Scales. Analyses of variance and Fisher's exact tests compared baseline characteristics across groups. Using intention to treat approach, repeated measures analyses were employed to test whether the outcomes differed significantly: (1) between visits 1 and 2 within each group and (2) between each intervention group and the control group over time (an interaction). RESULTS: Between visits 1 and 2, mean anxiety and behavior scores decreased significantly by 0.8 points (P = .03) for subjects within groups C and D. Significant changes were not observed within groups A and B. Mean anxiety and behavior scores did not differ significantly between groups over time, although group A versus C pairwise comparisons showed a trend toward significance (P = .06). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that certain electronic screen media technologies may be useful tools for reducing fear and uncooperative behaviors among children with ASD undergoing dental visits. Further studies are needed to assess the efficacy of these strategies using larger sample sizes. Findings from future studies could be relevant for nondental providers who care for children with ASD in other medical settings.

A performance measurement plan for pediatric dentists: using accuracy of caries diagnosis from intraoral radiographs.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop a metric for measuring (1) an individual pediatric dentist's performance against peer performance and (2) aggregate group performance, using accuracy of caries diagnosis. METHODS: A total of 3,985 tooth surfaces (from 174 patients) on intraoral bitewing radiographs were assessed by 9 precalibrated attending pediatric dentists at Children's Hospital Boston over a 3-year period. Each surface was reviewed by 3 pediatric dentists (the operating dentist and 2 peer reviewers) using a score card. An accurate diagnosis was defined as agreement between the operating dentist and at least 1 peer reviewer as to the presence or absence of caries. RESULTS: Average percentage diagnostic accuracy within the group over the course of the project was approximately 95% (95% confidence interval=94.0-95.4). Individual dentist scores ranged from approximately 89% to 96%. Group average rose steadily over time, from approximately 93% in 2008 to 97% by 2010. Unacceptable diagnosis (∼5% of surfaces assessed) did not directly translate into unfavorable treatment (∼4% of surfaces with unacceptable diagnosis). CONCLUSIONS: Interexaminer reliability as a proxy for accuracy of caries diagnoses from bitewing radiographs is a viable metric for improving and assessing the quality of care provided by pediatric dentists.

Unmet dental needs and barriers to care for children with significant special health care needs.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to conduct the first known large scale survey of parents of children with special health care needs (CSHCN) to determine their child's: oral health status; access to dental care; perceived barriers (environmental/system and nonenvironmental/family); and oral health quality of life, accounting for each child's medical diagnosis and severity of diagnosis. METHODS: A 72-item survey was sent to 3760 families of CSHCN throughout urban and rural Massachusetts. RESULTS: The study yielded 1,128 completed surveys. More than 90% of the children had seen a dentist within the past year; 66% saw a pediatric dentist, and 21% needed intense behavioral interventions. Although most families had high education levels, private dental insurance, and above average incomes, 20% of CSHCN had an unmet dental need. Children with craniofacial anomalies had twice as many unmet needs and children with cystic fibrosis had fewer unmet needs. Children with cerebral palsy, autism, developmental delay, and Down syndrome had more aversions to dental treatment, more treatment complications posed by their medical conditions, and more difficulty finding a dentist willing to provide care. Children with cystic fibrosis, metabolic disorders, or hemophilia encountered fewer barriers to care. CONCLUSIONS: The data paint a picture of high unmet dental needs with subpopulations of children with special health care needs who are more at risk for system barriers and internal family barriers to care based on their medical diagnoses.

Dental manifestations associated with Seckel syndrome type II: a case report.

Seckel syndrome is a rare form of primordial dwarfism that is characterized by short stature, skeletal defects, mental retardation, and characteristic facial features such as microcephaly, micrognathia, and a bird-head appearance. Dental findings include hypodontia, enamel hypoplasia, crowding, and Class II malocclusion. The purpose of this paper was to report the case of a female patient with Seckel syndrome type II and describe her orodental manifestations. She presented with interesting dental findings, including gingival hyperplasia, recession and ulceration, significant crowding, and early exfoliation of the primary dentition with accelerated eruption of the permanent dentition. The patient received comprehensive dental care under general anesthesia, and hard and soft tissue samples were collected for histologic analysis. The patient was followed for over 3 years.

Accuracy of familial reporting of a child's medical history in a dental clinic setting.

PURPOSE: Accurate reporting of medical history information is essential to provide safe and successful dental treatment to children. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of health histories reported by parents/guardians of pediatric patients presenting for dental treatment by comparing them to the histories provided in the child's medical chart. METHODS: Data collection from the dental record was performed using the medical history questionnaire from the child's first visit as the data source. Data collected focused on knowledge of the child's medical conditions, current medications, allergies, immunization status, and need for prophylactic antibiotics. Corresponding data were collected from the child's medical chart. Statistical analysis included kappa analysis and calculation of sensitivity, specificity, and failure-to-report rates. RESULTS: The study group consisted of 226 children (99 girls, 127 boys), with a mean age of 10.35 years. The patients were divided into 2 groups based on their medical status (healthy vs medically compromised). For the medically compromised children, parents had high sensitivity reporting rates (>75% sensitivity) for only 2 out of the 9 medical categories. For both groups, <50% of the medicine, allergy, and need for prophylaxis categories had sensitivity rates above 75%. Failure-to-report rates of 40% to 60% were common, with some as high as 80%. Weighted failure-to-report rates were consistently higher for medically compromised children compared to healthy children. CONCLUSIONS: Parents/guardians of children presenting for dental treatment are not always able to accurately report vital medical history information. Therefore, pediatric dentists need to more closely examine the dental health questionnaire and make every attempt to obtain accurate information to provide appropriate care for each patient.

New antiepileptic agents.

Recent US Food and Drug Administration approval of new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) offers a significant improvement in the treatment of childhood epilepsy. After a period of many years, during which no new AEDs became available, 7 new AEDs were introduced in the United States beginning in 1993. Approximately 25% of pediatric patients who remain refractory to therapy with conventional epileptic drugs now have the availability of more successful outcomes with several new drugs. These new drugs include felbamate, gabapentin, lamotrigine, topiramate, tiagabine, vigabatrin, oxcarbazepine. Information regarding the efficacy of these AEDs, as well as their side effects in the pediatric population has been summarized as an update for the pediatric dentist.

Dental management of a pediatric patient with mastocytosis: a case report.

Mastocytosis is a heterogeneous group of clinical disorders characterized by an excessive number of normal mast cells in a variety of tissues (skin, bone marrow, liver, spleen and lymph nodes). It is most often seen in the skin in pediatric-onset mastocytosis presenting as urticaria pigmentosa. Children with this disorder are on a strict avoidance protocol of triggering factors to decrease the likelihood of life-threatening anaphylactic reactions. Close monitoring and the avoidance of known histamine-releasing drugs is necessary in the pediatric dental office, as is a readiness to use resuscitative measures. A case of a 4-year, 6-month-old pediatric dental patient with mastocytosis is presented. Dental treatment was provided in an ambulatory setting utilizing nitrous oxide, oxygen analgesia and H1 and H2 antihistamines to prevent mast cell degranulation and to provide sedation.