Improving access and reducing barriers to dental care for children with autism spectrum disorder

Introduction: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a pervasive developmental disorder, defined as a syndrome consisting of abnormal development of social skills with limitations in the use of interactive language. Anecdotal evidence suggests that parents/carers of children with ASD have difficulty in accessing dental care for their children.

Aims: This study examined the problems encountered by children with ASD, when accessing dental care.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional, case-control questionnaire study. A piloted questionnaire was developed to identify the main barriers to dental care experienced by patients with ASD in Hull and East Riding. The study group was comprised of parents/carers of children with ASD, and the control group was comprised of parents/carers of age matched healthy, neurotypical children. Results were analysed using Chi-Square and Fisher’s Exact tests where appropriate. Significance was deemed at p<0.05. Ordinal data was presented using medians and 25th and 75th centiles and compared using Mann Whitney U test.

Results: 112 subjects completed the questionnaire. There was no significant difference in accessing dental care between study and control groups (p = 0.051), although access was perceived as more difficult in the ASD group (p <0.001). There was a significantly greater perceived difficulty in travelling to the dental surgery in the ASD group. Predicted negative behaviours were more frequent in the ASD group. All suggested interventions were predicted to be helpful in a significantly greater proportion of the ASD group. An introductory package was put into place using these results.