Autism and Adaptation of Dental Services

Abstract

Patients with ASD, especially in children, have obvious problems with managing dental behavior (non-cooperative behavior). In particular, in patients with ASD, the degree of their non-co-operation during dental intervention is 50-72% higher than in children with normal development. The low degree of oral hygiene in patients with this spectrum disorder complicates the prevention of dental diseases, which ultimately contributes to the spread of dental diseases, especially severe periodontal pathologies(Dao LP, et al. 2005). Lack of oral hygiene habits and techniques in patients with ASD causesthe problem with the “problem tooth” is, therefore, the conduct of dental interventions leads to tooth extraction under general anesthesia (personal interview with the patients of the center). This leads to irreversible processes in the development of the jaw-tooth system. This process is further facilitated by the lack of adaptation of dental services for patients with ASD in Georgia. According to the literature date, dental diseases are common in patients with autism spectrum disorders, in particular, caries, periodontal disease, as well as self-injury due to their behavior, both in the oral cavity and outside. The above diseases have a negative impact on the lives of both healthy children and children with ASD(A. Sheiham, 2006). Whereas, the manifestations of autism are sharply increased worldwide, within the framework of public health, there is a need for training / retraining of dental clinics and dentists to treat patients with ASD. According to HWO 2013 data, the prevalence of autism was 160: 1 (WHO, 2013), and currently this proportion has changed significantly at the expense of increasing the number of patients and ratio is 59:1. Due to prevalence of autism has increased dramatically, according to literature data, dental treatment planning should be considered with patient’s condition and needs of the individual review,also, adapting the clinic, which will increase the quality of cooperation between the doctor and the patient with ASD.(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ASD, 2019)