Autistic children’s parents and hospital dentistry

Abstract

Background: It is difficult to perform dental procedures in autistic children, and parental
involvement is necessary for successful hospital dental services. Therefore, in order to promote oral
health in autistic children, this study was aimed to explore the knowledge, attitude, and performance
of autistic children’s parents with respect to hospital dentistry.
Materials and Methods: This cross‑sectional study was conducted with the parents of 100 autistic
children aged 2–6 years selected from among the children of Isfahan autism treatment centers.
A self‑administered questionnaire, including parental demographic information and 22 items on
the assessment of knowledge, attitude, and performance of autistic children’s parents regarding
hospital dental procedures under general anesthesia, was completed by 100 parents. P <0.05 was
considered statistically significant. Data were analyzed by SPSS software using Chi‑square test.
Results: A total of 100 parents of autistic children, with an average age of 37.4 ± 6.1 years, were
recruited in this study. The results showed that 56%, 50%, and 3% of parents had poor knowledge
about dental hospital services, dental complications, and hospital dentistry rules, respectively. Further,
51% of parents believed that general anesthesia was dangerous to their children. In addition, 69%
of children had little or no cooperation with the dentist. There was also a significant relationship
between the knowledge, attitude, and performance of autistic children’s parents regarding hospital
dentistry and the parents’ age and sex.
Conclusion: This study showed that autistic children’s parents had poor knowledge, attitude, and
performance with respect to hospital dentistry.
Key Words: Autistic disorder, behavior control, child, dentistry, general anesthesia