Oral health status of children and young adults with autism spectrum disorders: systematic review and meta‐analysis

• Published in: International journal of paediatric dentistry Vol. 27; no. 5; pp. 388 - 398
• Main Authors: Silva, Silvana Nunes, Gimenez, Thais, Souza, Rafael Celestino, Mello‐Moura, Anna Carolina Volpi, Raggio, Daniela Prócida, Morimoto, Susana, Lara, Juan Sebastian, Soares, Giovana Correia, Tedesco, Tamara Kerber
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-09-2017
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorder - complications; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; Databases, Factual; Dental caries; Dental Caries - complications; Dental Caries - epidemiology; Dentistry; Fluoridation; Health Status; Humans; Meta-analysis; Meta-Analysis as Topic; Oral Health; Oral hygiene; Periodontal Diseases - complications; Periodontal Diseases - epidemiology; Periodontics; Prevalence; Reviews; Studies; Young Adult; Young adults
• ISSN: 0960-7439; 1365-263X
• DOI: 10.1111/ipd.12274

Summary
Background
Individuals with special needs are often affected by oral disorders such as dental caries and periodontal disease. Current data regarding prevalence of these conditions in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are controversial.
Aim
To conduct a systematic review and meta‐analysis to verify the prevalence of dental caries and periodontal disease in individuals with ASD, especially children and young adults.
Design
Searches were conducted through MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases in December 2015. Studies were included if fulfilled the following eligibility criteria: to evaluate the oral health status of individuals with ASD; to be an observational study; and to assess the prevalence of dental caries and/or periodontal disease. Meta‐analyses were conducted considering prevalence of dental caries and periodontal disease in individuals as outcome.
Results
Search strategy identified 928 potentially relevant articles and seven of them were included in this review. All included studies reported dental caries prevalence, and the pooled prevalence was 60.6% (95% CI: 44.0–75.1). Moreover, only three studies showed prevalence of periodontal disease, resulting in pooled prevalence of 69.4% (95% CI: 47.6–85.0).
Conclusion
Prevalence of dental caries and periodontal disease in children and young adults with ASD can be considered as high, pointing to the need for oral health policies focused on these individuals.