Meuffels Stephanie A, Kuijpers-Jagtman Anne Marie, Tjoa Stephen T H, Carvajal Monroy Paola L
Department of Orthodontics, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Department of Orthodontics, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Int J Paediatr Dent. 2025 Mar;35(2):456-467. doi: 10.1111/ipd.13257. Epub 2024 Aug 6.
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face unique challenges in oral care. Aligner therapy offers a promising alternative to conventional approaches for this patient group.
To evaluate orthodontic aligner therapy outcomes in children with ASD using the Peer Assessment Rating (PAR) Index and the Index of Complexity, Outcome, and Need (ICON), and to investigate whether concomitant disorders affect ICON, PAR scores, and treatment duration.
Two calibrated observers assessed digital dental casts and intraoral pictures of 37 children with ASD before (T0) and after (T1) their treatment. At T0, the participants' average age was 12.9 years (SD = 1.68); at T1, post-therapy, the average age was 14.9 years (SD = 1.51). All participants underwent orthodontic aligner therapy. Statistical methods employed in this study included descriptive analysis, Wilcoxon tests, and univariate linear regression.
Posttreatment, median ICON scores decreased significantly from 74 to 14, and median PAR scores from 36 to 8 (p < .0001), demonstrating "excellent to substantial" improvement in 89.2% (n = 33) of the children. Comorbidities, present in 62% of patients, did not significantly affect treatment duration (22.6 ± 11.02 months).
Children with ASD significantly benefit from orthodontic aligner therapy, emphasizing the need for tailored orthodontic care.
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童在口腔护理方面面临独特挑战。对于这一患者群体，矫治器疗法为传统方法提供了一种有前景的替代方案。
使用同伴评估评分（PAR）指数和复杂性、结果与需求指数（ICON）评估ASD儿童的正畸矫治器治疗效果，并调查合并症是否会影响ICON、PAR评分和治疗持续时间。
两名经过校准的观察者评估了37名ASD儿童在治疗前（T0）和治疗后（T1）的数字化牙模和口腔内照片。在T0时，参与者的平均年龄为12.9岁（标准差=1.68）；在T1时，治疗后平均年龄为14.9岁（标准差=1.51）。所有参与者均接受了正畸矫治器治疗。本研究采用的统计方法包括描述性分析、Wilcoxon检验和单变量线性回归。
治疗后，ICON评分中位数从74显著降至14，PAR评分中位数从36降至8（p<0.0001），表明89.2%（n=33）的儿童有“优秀至极显著”的改善。62%的患者存在合并症，但对治疗持续时间（22.6±11.02个月）没有显著影响。
ASD儿童从正畸矫治器治疗中显著获益，强调了提供个性化正畸护理的必要性。
