Abstract
Dental treatment in patients with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) can be complicated due to the presence of behavioral alterations. In this group, there are no specific behavioral profiles that allow dentist to anticipate the attitude that a patient will show during a visit. Thus, behavioral attitudes have been described that vary from total permissiveness and collaboration during even bloody procedures, to the absolute impossibility in conducting a simple oral examination. There is no effective behavioral management technique for all ASD patients. Prior information, such as the type of ASD or the presence of certain concurrent pathologies can help predict the patient’s likely behavior. Therefore, gathering all the information in a preliminary interview with the parents/guardians of the patient is recommended. Knowing these factors will allow individualized behavioral management strategies to be designed and facilitates the planning of dental treatment. Key words:Dentistry, autism, ASD, behavior management.
Highlights
General characteristics of autism spectrum disorders Autism is defined as an alteration in neurodevelopment characterized by severe damage in social interaction, language, behavior and cognitive function (1,2)
The distinct patterns of the illness are unified in a classification system referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) (1,2), traditionally subdivided into 3 large groups
‘Pervasive development disorder not otherwise specified’, is a diagnosis reached by including patients with similar problems to autism, but which do not reach the diagnostic criteria in number, severity, or age of presentation (3), and tend to present more activity, social interaction, and empathy than classical autistics (1,3)
Summary
General characteristics of autism spectrum disorders Autism is defined as an alteration in neurodevelopment characterized by severe damage in social interaction, language, behavior and cognitive function (1,2). The diagnosis of ASD is established after a careful medical, psychological, and neurological examination, and is based on 4 criteria (1-3): serious alterations in social relations; serious alterations in the development of communication; patterns of behavior, interests and activities that are restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped; and early onset (before 3-5 years of age).
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