Purpose: The purpose was to explore the relationship between the level of functioning (listening/talking/reading/daily self-care/care at home/social skills) of three to 21-year-old patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and their oral health and oral health-related behavior (brushing, flossing, dental visits).

 Methods: Survey data were collected from 85 parents of ASD patients. Patients' level of functioning was determined with a short version of the Survey Interview Form of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (2nd edition).

 Results: The patients ranged from very low to high levels of functioning. Oral health correlated with the ability to: listen (r=.53 P<.001) talk (r=.40 P<.001) read (r=.30 P<.01) engage in daily self-care (r=.36 P<.001) engage in care at home (r=.44 P<.001) and demonstrate social skills (r=.36 P<.001). The parents' comfort levels concerning brushing and flossing their children's teeth and taking their children to the dentist varied considerably and correlated with children's level of functioning. Frequency of tooth-brushing correlated with listening skills (r=31 P<.01) the frequency of flossing correlated with the ability to talk (r=.31 P<.01).

 Conclusions: Understanding the relationships between level of functioning of children with ASDs and their oral health and oral health-related behavior could increase dentists' ability to provide the best possible care for these patients.

 Source: Journal of American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry

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