Children with autism and other diverse learning needs are at risk for oral diseases for a number of reasons:
- Poor oral hygiene due to skill deficits (unable to hold toothbrush, squeeze tooth paste, move toothbrush around mouth)
- Poor oral hygiene due to performance deficits
- Lack of motivation to brush teeth (i.e. response effort is high and would rather engage in other tasks like play)
- Purpose of brushing teeth can be arbitrary (understanding of germs, clean vs. dirty is unclear)
- Aversive responses to brushing teeth/visiting the dentist (crying, protesting) due to task avoidance, sensory issues
Oral hygiene through regular cleaning/maintenance (i.e. brushing, flossing) as well as regular dental check ups are extremely crucial but often parents/caregivers avoid these tasks because of their child’s responses.
One important strategy we can use is teaching out of context. Rather than focusing on intervening (i.e. trying to make a dentist visit or brushing teeth fun) when anxiety and interfering behaviours are high, we can try to teach diverse learners when they are relaxed, happy and motivated.
Always Connected Treatment Network hosted a Community Day on September 25, 2022 with Dr. Sanjukta Mohanta. During this event, families attended private sessions with Dr. Mohanta to discuss oral hygiene, explore a variety of dental tools and engage in fun activities associated to oral hygiene. The proposed outcome of our community day was to provide education and strategies for oral hygiene and to provide resources to families on accessing dental services.
Here are some helpful tips from Dr. Mohanta:
- Encourage your child to brush their teeth, tongue and floss 2x per day
- Children should learn to brush their teeth using small circles and avoid brushing hard on the gum lines; they can brush back and forth on the tops of their teeth that do not meet the gum line
- Children up to the age of 10 are encouraged to receive additional guidance from their parents to ensure that a thorough clean is achieved
- Children should try to learn better food choices to avoid tooth decay including crunchy fruits, and foods that have little to no sugar
- Food options that are gummy, like marshmallows or gummies, are the most challenging to remove from your teeth; if you’re headed for a sweet option, try to avoid these types where possible
Check out recommended Dental Clinics near ACTN:
