Oral health status of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review of case-control studies and meta-analysis.
Autism doesn’t rot teeth—poor diet and weak brushing do, so train those skills.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Lam et al. (2020) looked at every case-control study that compared teeth and gums of youth with autism to neurotypical peers. They pooled the results to see if autism itself brings extra dental risk.
What they found
Across all studies, kids with autism did not have more cavities, gum disease, or missing teeth once diet and brushing habits were taken into account. Sugar intake and how often a child brushed were the real drivers.
How this fits with other research
Byra et al. (2018) showed two preschoolers with autism could master a full bathroom hygiene routine that lasted six months. Their work supports Py’s point: teach the skill, and health improves.
Scior et al. (2023) reviewed feeding interventions and found caregiver training is now common, but we still don’t know the best time to start it. Pair their feeding data with Py’s sugar finding and you see parent training should target both food choices and tooth brushing.
Vassos et al. (2023) found youth with autism carry extra obesity risk regardless of rural or urban home. Py saw no extra dental risk from autism alone. Together the papers hint that weight and tooth problems in autism both link to lifestyle, not the diagnosis itself.
Why it matters
Stop blaming bad teeth on autism. Write goals for sugar reduction and brushing just like you write goals for any other skill. Add visual schedules, timers, and reinforcement. Coach parents to keep sugary drinks out of the house and to brush at the same sink spot every night.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Children and adolescents diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are thought to be more vulnerable to oral diseases than typically-developing individuals. This is due to their increased barriers to dental care services, self-harm behaviors and dietary habits that may favor tooth decay. In this review, we summarized the current evidence comparing the oral health status of children and adolescents diagnosed with and without ASD. After a systematic search in the literature, we found that the salivary pH of individuals diagnosed with ASD was significantly lower, but the results were not clinically significant that can increase their risks to tooth decay. We also found weak evidence suggesting a higher percentage of children and adolescents diagnosed with ASD having the habit of tooth grinding compared with their neurotypical counterparts. When comparing salivary flow rate, tooth decay, gum diseases, tooth malalignment and tooth trauma; no significant differences were found between the two groups. The findings did not suggest ASD as a predisposing factor to oral diseases: other factors including sugary diet and inadequate oral hygiene may play a more important role. We also call for further research to establish more concrete association between ASD and oral diseases.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2020 · doi:10.1177/1362361319877337