Occurrence of traumatic dental injuries among preschool children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Fares S Al-Sehaibany

doi:10.12669/pjms.344.15681

Abstract

Objective:To determine the occurrence of traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) among Saudi preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and compare it with Saudi preschool children without ASD.Methods:This study was conducted on a randomly selected sample of three to five year old Saudi preschool children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The sample consisted of two groups; a study group (SG) of 257 ASD children, and a control group (CG) of age- and gender-matched 257 children without ASD. Clinical examinations were performed at selected ASD centers and kindergartens to determine the occurrence of TDIs based on modified World Health Organization (WHO) classification system.Results:Out of 514 children examined, 108 (21.0%) had suffered TDIs. The prevalence of TDIs was significantly higher in the SG (25.7%) children than the CG (16.3%) [p=0.012]. The primary maxillary central incisors were the most commonly affected teeth in both the groups; significantly more in CG (72.9%) than SG (50.1%) [p=0.017]. Enamel fracture was the most frequent type of TDI in both the groups; significantly more in CG (29.2%) than SG (21.1%) [p=0.032]. Luxation injuries and tooth avulsions were significantly higher in the SG than the CG (p=0.028).Conclusions:The occurrence of TDIs was higher in Saudi preschool children with ASD than in non-ASD children.

Highlights

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neuro developmental disorder that is mainly caused by genetic or neurobiological factors, and represents a wide range of intellectual deficits associated with communication and repetitive behavioral patterns.[1,2] An epidemiological review on autism in Arab Gulf countries showed a prevalence of ASD ranging from 1.4 to 29 per 10,000 individuals; indicating that ASD is a serious health concern.[3]
The study sample consisted of a total of 514 Saudi preschool children, 257 each in study group (SG) and control group (CG)
The age in both the groups ranged from 3-5 years with a mean age of 4.2±0.5 years for the SG and 4.0±0.7 years for the CG

Summary

Introduction

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neuro developmental disorder that is mainly caused by genetic or neurobiological factors, and represents a wide range of intellectual deficits associated with communication and repetitive behavioral patterns.[1,2] An epidemiological review on autism in Arab Gulf countries showed a prevalence of ASD ranging from 1.4 to 29 per 10,000 individuals; indicating that ASD is a serious health concern.[3]. Children with ASD demonstrate a variety of atypical behaviors, including peculiar mannerism, obsessions, compulsions, unusual attachments to objects, stereotype and self-injurious behaviors.[1] Compared to non-ASD children, preschool. Children with ASD exhibit higher prevalence of oral habits such as bruxism, object biting, thumb sucking and tongue biting.[5] As a result of certain behavioral aspects and oral habits, ASD children are vulnerable to traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) caused by accidents or self-inflicted injuries. Risk factors for the occurrence of TDIs include demographic, socioeconomic, behavioral, anthropometric, and oral factors.[6] The high frequency of TDIs and their negative consequences in ASD children suggest that special attention should be devoted to such injuries.[7]

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