Parents' perceptions of dental care challenges in male children with autism spectrum disorder: An initial qualitative exploration

Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Leah I Stein DukerSharon A Cermak

Abstract

Many children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) experience barriers to oral care in the dental office setting. The purpose of this study was to provide an increased understanding of these challenges experienced during oral care in the dental office by children with ASD. This study was part of a larger mixed methods design and builds on quantitative results from a survey of parents of children with ASD ages 2-18 in which parents reported difficulties with access to care, sensory processing, and uncooperative behaviors. For this study, we conducted two, three hour, focus groups of parents of male children with ASD age 5-18 years in order to explore the survey results in greater depth. Focus group transcripts were analyzed using a template coding approach based on the three domains of office-based oral care challenges identified in the first phase (survey). Several related themes emerged including: (1) Access: "Difficult to find the right dentist", (2) Sensory sensitivities: "All the sensory devices just make him so uncomfortable", (3) Restraint: "It looked like they were torturing him", and (4) Drugs: "A mixed bag". The qualitative findings from this study both confirmed our previous survey findings and expanded upon them. The...Continue Reading

Associated Clinical Trials

Citations

Jun 27, 2019·Nursing & Health Sciences·Dominique H ComoLeah I Stein Duker
Jul 28, 2019·British Dental Journal·Sarab El-YousfiZoe Marshman
Jun 2, 2020·Frontiers in Psychiatry·Yanan QiaoFengshan Chen
Aug 24, 2018·Child: Care, Health and Development·Shelby A Wilson, Catherine C Peterson
Jan 1, 2021·European Archives of Paediatric Dentistry : Official Journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry·L S KindC C Bonifacio
Mar 9, 2021·Special Care in Dentistry : Official Publication of the American Association of Hospital Dentists, the Academy of Dentistry for the Handicapped, and the American Society for Geriatric Dentistry·Audrey McMillionAnna Remington

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