Oral health-related quality of life and dental caries prevalence in children with and without autism spectrum disorder Recibi

Espinoza A.A.C.; Orrego-Ferreyros L.A. · Revista de la Asociacion Odontologica Argentina (2026) · DOI: 10.52979/raoa.1140813.1358

Resumen

Aim: To compare oral health-related quality of life and the prevalence of dental caries in children with and without autism spectrum disorder. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional design was used with a sample of 60 children. Caregivers completed the Parental-Caregiver Perceptions Questionnaire (P-CPQ), and the dmft, DMFT, and mean dmft/DMFT were recorded. Distri-butions were assessed with the Shapiro-Francia test; the means of the indices were compared using analysis of variance (ANO-VA), whereas the medians of the P-CPQ were compared using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test (Mann-Whitney U test). To identi-fy independent predictors of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), a generalized linear model was fitted. Results: The baseline caries burden was mild to mode-rate (dmft 2.1 ± 1.9; DMFT 3.3 ± 2.5), with no significant differences between groups (p ≥ 0.085). The total P-CPQ score averaged 14.6 in children without ASD and 13.7 in children with ASD (p = 0.813); likewise, no differences were observed for oral symptoms, functional limitations, emotional well-being, or social well-being. A generalized linear model with a gamma distribution (identity link) indicated that age, sex, and ASD diagnosis did not influence OHRQoL (p > 0.58). In contrast, each primary-tooth extraction was associated with a 5.9-point reduction in the P-CPQ (p < 0.001; adjusted p = 0.059), whereas permanent-tooth fillings increased it by 21.6 points (p = 0.045). Conclusion: ASD status did not affect either caries prevalence or parental perceptions of oral well-being; caries history and type of treatment remained the central determinants of oral health-related quality of life.

Instituciones: Universidad César Vallejo