Qualitative study on barriers and coping strategies for dental care in autistic children: Parents' perspective

Background Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) face challenges in home oral care, accessing a dentist and accepting dental treatment. Aim To determine the barriers to dental care for autistic children in Singapore through the experiences and opinions of their parents. Design A qualitative...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of paediatric dentistry 2023-03, Vol.33 (2), p.203-215
Main Authors: Junnarkar, Vrushali Sameer, Tong, Huei Jinn, Hanna, Kamal Maher Batra, Aishworiya, Ramkumar, Duggal, Monty
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acclimatization
Adaptation, Psychological
Autism
Autistic children
Autistic Disorder
barriers
Child
Children
Childrens health
Coping
dental
Dental Care
Dental Care for Children
Dental insurance
Dentists
Humans
Oral hygiene
Parents
qualitative
Qualitative Research
Toothbrushing
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Summary:Background Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) face challenges in home oral care, accessing a dentist and accepting dental treatment. Aim To determine the barriers to dental care for autistic children in Singapore through the experiences and opinions of their parents. Design A qualitative exploratory approach comprising semistructured interviews and a focus group discussion was used. Audio recordings were transcribed and coded into themes using NVivo 12 software. Results Participants were 23 parents of autistic children aged 3–12 years. The following barriers were identified: (1) Sensory, physical and parental knowledge issues are related to toothbrushing difficulties and use of nonoptimally fluoridated toothpaste in autistic children. (2) Accessing dental services was hindered by a lack of parental knowledge on the importance of an early dental home, parental apprehension about the child's acceptance of dental care, lack of information on specialised dentists and perceived high cost of dental visits. Parental suggestions for improvements included understanding the child's sensory profile, more information on finding a suitable dentist and subsidisation of costs for multiple acclimatisation visits. Conclusion Caregivers' education, information about specialised dentists and the availability of specific dental care resources for autistic children in Singapore are needed for optimising their dental care.
ISSN:0960-7439
1365-263X
DOI:10.1111/ipd.13035