Improving oral hygiene practices in children with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience higher rates of oral disease compared to their typically developing (TD) peers due to impaired oral hygiene practices and caregiver-experienced barriers to accessing, receiving, and practicing adequate dental care at home and in the clinical setting. This project aimed to reinforce the importance of pediatric oral health and to improve caregivers’ oral health knowledge and comfort with at home oral hygiene practices by providing an oral health educational toolkit to caregivers of children with ASD. The site for this project was the Malama Pono Autism Center (MPAC) and participants were parents of children with ASD age 2- to 5-years-old receiving applied behavior analysis (ABA) services at MPAC. The project design included a live educational session led by the DNP student and distribution of an oral health educational brochure, ABA overview handout and ABA-supported video modeling tool to participants. The project utilized pre- and post-intervention questionnaires to evaluate its outcomes. Results showed improved oral hygiene behaviors (increase in tooth brushing and flossing frequency, and increased use of fluoride-containing toothpaste), improved parent-reported comfort levels assisting their child with toothbrushing and flossing and addressing behavioral challenges during oral care, and increased parental knowledge related to oral health. Project results support use of an educational intervention targeting caregivers of children with ASD as an effective method to promote oral hygiene practices and health in children with ASD, which can be translated to other clinical and community settings.