Oral health indicators in a sample of Hispanic patients diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder

Mariela  Sosa Seda; Naydi  Perez Rios; Sona Rivas Tumanayan; Damaris  Molina Negron; Lydia M Lopez del Valle

doi:10.47990/njr9j726

Authors

Mariela Sosa Seda Escuela de Medicina Dental Universidad de Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico https://orcid.org/0009-0009-6797-0427
Naydi Perez Rios Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Research Design Core, the Hispanic Alliance for Clinical and Translational Research (Alliance), San Juan, Puerto Rico https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2878-5308
Sona Rivas Tumanayan Escuela de Medicina Dental Universidad de Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico y Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Research Design Core, the Hispanic Alliance for Clinical and Translational Research (Alliance), San Juan, Puerto Rico https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3773-7028
Damaris Molina Negron Escuela de Medicina Dental Universidad de Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1431-6332
Lydia M Lopez del Valle Escuela de Medicina Dental Universidad de Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7285-9047

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47990/njr9j726

Keywords:

Autism Spectrum Disorder, social determinants of health, oral health status

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to determine the oral health status and the associated health disparities of pediatric patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Methods: This non-matched, case-control study recruited 22 subjects diagnosed with ASD (cases) and 27 without ASD (controls) aged 5–18. Two calibrated dentists performed dental exams for caries and gingivitis on all subjects. Parents/caregivers completed sociodemographics and social determinants oral health questionnaires. As appropriate, between-group comparisons were performed using chi-square, Fisher’s exact test, t-test, and Mann-Whitney test. Associations between ASD and oral health indices were determined using logistic, Poisson, and linear regression models.

Results: Statistically significant differences were found for not easily finding dental services for ASD patients (p=0.014) and behavioral problems during dental visits (p=0.012). Children with ASD had significantly lower odds of caries (DMFT+dft>0) compared to children without ASD (OR=0.121; 95% CI: 0.023; 0.636). Age- and sex-adjusted models showed a significantly lower gingival index among those with ASD.

Conclusion: ASD patients had better oral health than the control subjects. The barriers to treatment for ASD patients were lack of access to dental care and living in a rural area.

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STATA software v. 17 (STATA Corp, TX, USA) and SAS v. 9.4 (SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA)