Introduction:

People with autism spectrum disorder have a higher risk of dental complications due to the characteristics of the condition itself.

Objective:

To describe the oral health status, hygiene practices and oral habits of a group of Chilean children, adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder.

Methods:

A descriptive study was conducted of 123 subjects with autism spectrum disorder. A questionnaire was applied which dealt with socio-demographic information, dental history, oral hygiene practices and oral habits. Each participating subject underwent oral examination to determine their experience with and prevalence of caries, scores on the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index and the gingival index, and the presence of dental trauma, deep/ogival palate, anterior open bite, and anterior and posterior crossbite.

Results:

48 % of the subjects with autism spectrum disorder brushed twice a day, and 68.0 % required assisted tooth-brushing; 94.3 % had oral habits, of which bruxism and oral breathing were the most frequent, accounting for 57.7 % and 52.9 %, respectively. Prevalence of caries was 33.3 %, the dental caries index for permanent dentition was 1.1 ± 1.8, and the dental caries index for deciduous and permanent dentition was 2.6 ± 3.3. OHI-S for the 123 subjects was 1.30 ± 0.58.

Conclusions:

Most subjects required assistance with tooth-brushing and brushed twice a day. Bruxism and oral breathing were the most prevalent oral habits. A low prevalence of caries, a very low dental caries index for permanent dentition and a fair Oral Hygiene Index were observed in the 123 subjects with autism spectrum disorder.

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