Comparison of DMFT in 6-12 Years Old Children with Autism Disorder Compared to Healthy Children.

Abstract

Introduction: Dental caries are the most common chronic disease, with risk factors including a high number of caries, high sugar consumption, inadequate saliva flow, poor oral hygiene, and poverty. To measure decay, an index must be reliable and countable. One of the most popular indicators is the DMFT index, which is very valuable for calculating the number of teeth affected by decay.

Methods and materials: This cross-sectional control study included the experience of caries and DMFT index of 45 children of Khorramabad Autism Society in 1402 in Khorramabad City and 180 healthy children. Information about parents' age, sex, and education level was recorded, and children were examined under natural light using explorers and mirrors. Data analysis was finally conducted using SPSS 26 software.

Results: After excluding uncooperative samples, 39 autistic and 176 healthy children entered the study, including 10 girls and 29 autistic boys and 66 girls and 110 healthy boys. The average age of autistic children was 9.4, and for healthy children was 9.2. The average DMFT for children with autism and healthy children was 5.71 and 3.44, respectively. The education level of more parents in the healthy group was a bachelor's degree, while in the autism group, mothers predominantly held diplomas or lower, and fathers typically held bachelor's degrees.

Conclusion and discussion: According to the findings of this study, the DMFT index in children with autism is higher than in healthy children. Additionally, the DMFT index does not appear to be related to the gender and education level of the parents. However, among autistic children whose mothers hold a bachelor's degree, the DMFT index was found to decrease. Furthermore, the DMFT index tends to converge with age, increasing as children grow older.