Children with ASD experience difficulties with proper oral care due to…
- Toothbrush as a “foreign object”
- Caregivers likely need to brush for child.
- Try
giving child control
- Place very small amount on finger and encourage them to taste.
- Place a pea-size amount of toothpaste on a child-size soft bristle tooth brush, and allow them to brush with manual guidance.
- If they resist, say "OK, we’re almost done", and stop as soon as possible.
- Encourage and practice with child to spit out the toothpaste rather than swallow it to prevent excess fluoride intake
- Gradually increase the length of brushing time to 2 minutes.
- Reward good behavior
- Anxiety towards toothbrushing
- Predictability
- Same location
- Same time: frequency, duration, time of day
- Predictability
- Oral
home care technique:
- Tell, show, do
- Distractions: counting (1-5), songs
- Reward for good behavior and proper technique
Children with ASD experience difficulties with proper oral care due to…
- Coordination of toothbrushing
movements
- Better handling and grip for child to brush
- Examples
- Add tennis ball to toothbrush handle
- Add bike handle to toothbrush handle
- Wrap tape around the handle
- Surround® Toothbrush recommended and used by the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine
- Surround® Toothbrush has unique heads and multiple sides of bristles
- Cuts down on brushing time
- Cover more tooth surfaces
Children with ASD experience difficulties with proper oral care due to…
- Sensitivity to toothbrushing and
toothpaste
- Soft/ultrasoft toothbrush
- Try fruit-flavored toothpaste (make sure the toothpaste has Fluoride)
- May
need other sources of Fluoride to compensate for lack of Fluoride
- Why? Daily exposure to Fluoride is important!
- Typical bottled water does not
contain Fluoride, whereas certain public water systems are fluoridated.
- Check if your public water system is fluoridated: apps.nccd.cdc.gov/MWF/index.asp
- May need other sources of fluoride to
compensate for lack of fluoride
- Discuss varnish application with your child’s dentist if you experience limited fluoride options
- If
child does not accept any kinds of fluoridated or non-fluoridated toothpastes,
use of fluoridated water during toothbrushing is the next best option
- Dip and wet the toothbrush in the fluoridated water (from public water system)
- rinse mouth with fluoridated water (from public water system)
- The mechanical action of the toothbrush bristles on the gums and teeth is an excellent method to reduce the amount of bacteria that adhere to those surfaces