Pediatric Care for Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Literature Review

Abstract

Autism is a complex developmental condition that impairs the individual's ability to communicate and interact. Currently, autism is incorporated into a more comprehensive

medical term, Autism Spectrum Disorder, which involves persistent challenges in social interaction, speech, nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors of the individual. The objective of this work was to carry out a literature review based on their behavior in an outpatient setting, general characteristics, pathologies, and common oral habits. Information related to the topic was raised in articles from 2015 to 2020 in the main scientific literature bases that include journals: PubMed, Medline, Scielo and the Virtual Health Library (VHL), the study inclusion criteria were: Complete articles and free articles published in Portuguese and English in which they reported on the theme proposed by the authors, for the exclusion criteria were articles that did not fit the theme. We conclude that the proper dental management for a child with ASD requires individualization and a thorough understanding of the behavioral profile of ASD, encompassing several techniques. In relation to oral health, autists have a high prevalence of caries and periodontal disease, probably due to the cariogenic diet and difficulties in oral hygiene, common in special patients, also highlighting the active participation of parents / caregivers for the success of treatment.