Occurrence of traumatic dental injuries among preschool children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Objective: To determine the occurrence of traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) among Saudi preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and compare it with Saudi preschool children without ASD.

Methods: This study was conducted on a randomly selected sample of three to five year old Saudi preschool children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The sample consisted of two groups; a study group (SG) of 257 ASD children, and a control group (CG) of age- and gender-matched 257 children without ASD. Clinical examinations were performed at selected ASD centers and kindergartens to determine the occurrence of TDIs based on modified World Health Organization (WHO) classification system.

Results: Out of 514 children examined, 108 (21.0%) had suffered TDIs. The prevalence of TDIs was significantly higher in the SG (25.7%) children than the CG (16.3%) [p=0.012]. The primary maxillary central incisors were the most commonly affected teeth in both the groups; significantly more in CG (72.9%) than SG (50.1%) [p=0.017]. Enamel fracture was the most frequent type of TDI in both the groups; significantly more in CG (29.2%) than SG (21.1%) [p=0.032]. Luxation injuries and tooth avulsions were significantly higher in the SG than the CG (p=0.028).

Conclusions: The occurrence of TDIs was higher in Saudi preschool children with ASD than in non-ASD children.