Oral Health Status Survey Of Children With Autism In Qingdao

Objectives:The study was aimed to investigate the oral health status of preschool and school-age children with and without autism in Qingdao,and to assess the oral health behavior and awareness of oral health knowledge of their caregivers,provide basic information for the study of oral health status of children with autism in Qingdao.Discuss the specific measures for autistic children in oral health care and oral disease treatment,make relevant recommendations for parents,schools and medical staff to refer to,urge relevant departments to pay attention to the oral health problems of children with disabilities,and accelerate the development of special children's oral health promotion intervention strategies.Material and methods:According to World Health Organization(WHO)"Oral Health Surveys Basic Methods" fifth edition requirements,refer to the Fourth National Oral Health Epidemiological Investigation Program and related oral health investigation literature for children with disabilities,oral examination table was designed.Oral examination were taken for children with autism in the education institutions for children with disabilities in Shibei District of Qingdao and healthy children in ordinary school,the number of decayed,missing,filled teeth,the first permanent molars and the closure of pits and fissures were recorded,the plaque index(PLI),modified gingival index(MGI)were used to assess oral hygiene and periodontal status in children.At the same time,according to the content of the questionnaire in the Fourth National Oral Health Epidemiology Survey,this parent's questionnaire was designed,including oral health behaviors and oral prevention measures.The results of oral examination and questionnaire survey were recorded into Excel software,and the statistical software SPSS23.0 version was used for statistical analysis.The count data was analyzed by chi-square test or Fisher's exact test.The measurement data were analyzed by independent sample t test.Results:Seventy-six children with autism completed an oral examination with an average age of 6.45±3.23 years,a male to female ratio of 3:1,with a total of 100 healthy children,the ratio of male to female was 1:1.There was no significant difference in the socioeconomic status of the children between the two groups and the educational level of the parents.The total prevalence of caries is 63.16%in the autism group,the average decayed teeth was 2.68±3.28,the caries filling rate was3.43%,and the caries rate,average decayed teeth and filling rate of healthy children were 68%,3.09±3.38,4.21%,respectively.There was no significant difference in the rate of caries and average decayed teeth(P>0.05).The 3-5 years old children with autism had a caries rate of 56.76%,and the mean dmft was 2.95±3.92.The 6-12 years old group was 69.23% and 2.44±2.56,respectively.There were no significant differences in the prevalence of caries and mean dmft between children of autism in different age groups and genders(P>0.05).There were no significant differences in the prevalence and mean caries between children with autism and healthy children in different age groups(P>0.05).The caries rate of the first permanent molars in the two groups was 33.33%,17.39%,and the pit and fissure sealing rate was 0.The caries filling rate increased with age but was still low.The number of plaque index PLI?2 in children with autism and the gingival index MGI>2,6-12 years old group were more than 3-5 years old,the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in plaque index and modified gingival index between different sexes(P>0.05).There was no significant difference in plaque index and modified gingival index between children with autism and healthy children in 3-5 years old group(P>0.05).The plaque index and modified gingival index of children with autism in 6-12 years old were higher than health.There were significant differences in the two indicators between the two groups(P<0.05).Parents questionnaire analysis,healthy children start brushing teeth at earlier age than children with autism,the number who brush their teeth by themselves was more than children with autism,the difference was statistically significant(P <0.05).No significant difference was found between the two groups of children of daily times brushing their teeth(P>0.05).There was no significant difference in the proportion of using fluoride toothpaste(P>0.05).Only 33.3% of parents of children with autism thought that deciduous teeth need treatment.Less than half of parents knew that fluoride and pit and fissure closure could prevent dental caries,comparing with parents of healthy children,the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion: The oral health status of children with autism and healthy children needs to be improved,the caries filling rate was 3.43% in autism,and the promotion and implementation of preventive health measures were not enough.As the age of autistic children grows,the oral condition becomes worse.Oral health education training for parents and teachers of educational institutions should be strengthened to provide acceptable special oral care methods for children with autism.The dentist should select appropriate behavior management methods according to the characteristics of children to achieve the comfortable dental treatment for children.The department should pay attention to children's oral prevention and health care,establish and improve relevant policies,reduce the psychological and economic burden for parents,and help children with disabilities to obtain a higher quality of life related to oral health.