2023 Volume 44 Issue 3 Pages 289-296
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) include “excessive resistance to change, excessive adherence to routines, and ritualized patterns of verbal or nonverbal behavior”. Considering these typical characteristics of ASD, our department had been making special arrangements for patients with ASD by fixing the attending dentist and using the same chair for examination. However, one of our dentists who had been treating disabled children for more than 30 years retired from our department, and later, our hospital building required reconstruction. These changes prompted a questionnaire survey with parents of patients with ASD regarding their impact. The subjects were parents of 113 patients with ASD treated by the same dentist (questionnaire period: April-May 2014) and parents of 109 patients with ASD examined at our department around the time the hospital building was being rebuilt (questionnaire period：April-May 2019). The subjects were asked whether they perceived any changes in the general attitudes of dentists and department staff, and if so, what exactly those changes were. Additionally, the parents were also surveyed on their concerns and anxieties. The results showed that the vast majority （88.5％） of the patients were able to receive the same treatment as earlier under the new dentist, while some parents preferred to have the predecessor back. Meanwhile, 64.2％ responded that they were able to receive the same treatment as earlier after the change in the dental department environment. These results suggest that most ASD patients were not “obsessed” with their attending dentist, but they were relatively more “obsessed” with the examination site. Nevertheless, these factors may not have affected the dental examination as much as anticipated.
