Introduction: There is evidence that dental caries is both increased and decreased in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Objectives: This study examined the association between ASD and the probability of a child having caregiver-reported dental caries based on a nationally representative sample. We hypothesized that when compared with children without ASD, children with ASD would have greater odds of dental caries.
Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health. Caregivers reported whether a health provider informed them that their children had ASD and "decayed teeth or cavities" during the past 12 mo. We used logistic regression controlling for child characteristics (age, sex, race/ethnicity, insurance, preventive dental use) and family characteristics (education and federal poverty level).
Results: Among the 45,155 children in our sample, 1,228 (2.5%) had ASD. The prevalence of caregiver-reported dental caries was 14.7% in children with ASD and 9.5% in children without ASD. The odds of having caregiver-reported child dental caries (adjusted odds ratio = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.2 to 1.7) was greater among children with ASD than children without ASD when controlling for the aforementioned covariates.
Conclusion: Using a nationally representative sample, we found that children with ASD had significantly greater odds of having caregiver-reported dental caries as compared with children without ASD. Families can be educated on the increased odds of having dental caries in children with ASD. Moreover, this finding highlights a need for oral health services and policies to prevent and treat dental caries, which are tailored to the increasing number of American children with ASD.
Knowledge transfer statement: The results of this study support the need for policy makers, clinicians, and families to improve oral health services that prevent and treat dental caries in the increasing number of American children with autism spectrum disorder.
Keywords: caregivers; child; cross-sectional studies; health surveys; oral health; pervasive child development disorders.