Comparative Evaluation of Oral Health Status in Healthy Children and Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

AbstractObjective Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is regarded a severe neuropsychiatric disorder. The objective of this study was to compare the status of the oral health between children with and without ASDs.Methods A total of 95 children (44 with ASD and 51 without ASD) were included. dmft/DMFT (d/D: decay; m/M: missing; f/F: filling; t/T: teeth) scores and plaque data of all participants were recorded. Saliva Streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli load were determined using CRT bacteria.Results Streptococcus mutans load was >105 CFU in 54.5% of the ASD group and 43.1% in the non-ASD group. Lactobacilli load was >105 CFU in 47.70% of the ASD group and 49.0% in the non-ASD group. There was no statistically significant difference in the S. mutans or lactobacilli loads between the ASD and non-ASD groups. A total of 83.1% of the ASD group had caries, with dmft = 3.25 and DMFT = 5.10. In the non-ASD group, 81.10% of patients had caries, with dmft = 3.10 and DMFT = 4.90; 38.6% of the ASD group and 29.4% of the non-ASD group had no clinical signs of periodontal disease.Conclusion The examination of the amount of saliva S. mutans and lactobacilli at intervals with these patients will provide quantitative data to evaluate the effectiveness of oral health care.