2022 Volume 43 Issue 3 Pages 193-201
We investigated the factors that cause maladapted behavior in people with autism spectrum disorders at the first visit. The subjects were 32 patients with autism spectrum disorders who visited the clinic from April 2019 to December 2021 for the first time.
We surveyed age, gender, developmental age, disability characteristics, and past dental and medical department experience. We observed and evaluated behaviors in the order of “1. Entering the examination room,” “2. Sitting in a dental chair,” “3. Supine on the dental chair,” “4. Caregiving toothbrushing,” and “5. Oral examination.” Statistical analyses were performed by using Fisher’s exact test and decision tree analysis. It was found that the dental consultation behavior at the first visit and the developmental age were related in all situations. “Entering the examination room” required the language comprehension of at least 1 year and 10.5 months, and “Supine on the dental chair” required a developmental age of at least 3 years. The optimal age for the categories was 7 years for “Entering the examination room” and “Sitting in a dental chair,” and at least 11 years for “Supine on the dental chair.” It was suggested that it is difficult to deal with young patients at the first visit. “Presence or absence of medical restraint experience” was extracted as an effective item for determining adaptive behavior such as “Sitting in a dental chair,” “Supine on the dental chair,” “Caregiving toothbrushing,” and “Oral examination.” An unpleasant experience not only in dentistry but also in the medical department affected the behavior on the first visit. It is necessary to be careful not to make people with autism spectrum disorders feel uncomfortable at medical institutions.
