Asiri Faris Y, Tennant Marc, Kruger Estie
Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, KSA.
International Research Collaboration-Oral Health and Equity, School of Allied Health, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
J Taibah Univ Med Sci. 2024 Sep 20;19(5):938-946. doi: 10.1016/j.jtumed.2024.09.005. eCollection 2024 Oct.
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often face challenges in maintaining good oral health, because of factors including sensory sensitivities, communication difficulties, and microbial imbalances in the oral cavity. Despite growing awareness of ASD, both in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and globally, no systematic review has comprehensively assessed the effects of ASD on oral health status in KSA.
This study was aimed at assessing whether the oral health of individuals with ASD in KSA might differ from that of neurotypical individuals, on the basis of a systematic review framework.
According to the Participants, Exposure, Comparison, and Outcome (PICO) framework, a systematic search of electronic databases was conducted, and screening was independently performed by two reviewers. Conflicts were resolved through discussion. Data on study characteristics and oral health findings were independently extracted by the two reviewers. The risk of bias was assessed with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklist for Analytical Cross-Sectional Studies.
Of 763 initially identified articles, 14 met the inclusion criteria. These studies indicated that children with ASD have a higher prevalence of dental caries, greater gingival inflammation, and a greater risk of dental trauma than their neurotypical peers. Parents of children with ASD showed elevated concern regarding their children's oral health.
Training dental professionals to manage patients with ASD is essential. Further research with larger sample sizes and rigorous methods is necessary to enhance understanding of the relationship between ASD and oral health outcomes in KSA.
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）患者在保持良好口腔健康方面常常面临挑战，原因包括感觉敏感、沟通困难以及口腔微生物失衡等因素。尽管沙特阿拉伯王国（KSA）和全球范围内对ASD的认识不断提高，但尚无系统评价全面评估ASD对KSA口腔健康状况的影响。
本研究旨在基于系统评价框架，评估KSA中ASD患者的口腔健康是否与神经典型个体不同。
根据参与者、暴露因素、对照和结局（PICO）框架，对电子数据库进行系统检索，由两名评审员独立进行筛选。通过讨论解决分歧。两名评审员独立提取研究特征和口腔健康结果的数据。采用乔安娜·布里格斯研究所（JBI）分析性横断面研究批判性评价清单评估偏倚风险。
在最初识别的763篇文章中，14篇符合纳入标准。这些研究表明，与神经典型同龄人相比，ASD儿童患龋齿的患病率更高，牙龈炎症更严重，牙齿外伤风险更大。ASD儿童的父母对其子女的口腔健康表现出更高的关注度。
培训牙科专业人员管理ASD患者至关重要。需要进行更大样本量和更严格方法的进一步研究，以加强对KSA中ASD与口腔健康结局之间关系的理解。
