505 - Effectiveness of Environmental Modifications on Prophylaxis in Children with Autism

Purpose: This study evaluated the quality of dental prophylaxis provided to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in a sensory adapted dental environment (SADE) when compared to a regular dental environment (RDE), using an intraoral camera with plaque recognition technology. We hypothesized that the quality of prophylaxis would be improved in the SADE condition compared to the RDE condition, as measured by change in plaque presence from pre- to post-prophylaxis.

Methods: This study is a component of a larger randomized clinical trial which examined the efficacy of modifying the sensory characteristics of the dental environment to reduce children’s behavioral and physiological distress and enhance quality of care. This paper compares only the quality of dental cleaning in the two environments. Participants were 138 children with ASD, ages 6 to 12 years old. Each participant was provided a dental examination and prophylaxis twice, once in a RDE and once in a SADE, approximately six months apart in a counterbalanced and randomized order. Intraoral photographs were taken of the buccal and lingual surfaces of six teeth at each visit pre- and post-prophylaxis and scored by a trained dental resident using a modified version of the Plaque Index. The difference between pre- and post-prophylaxis plaque was calculated for each participant and compared between the SADE and RDE using a generalized linear model including attained age as a covariate; gender and ASD severity were assessed as potential effect modifiers by including them and their interaction with SADE/RDE treatment in the models.
Results/

Conclusion: pending