Predicting Successful Dental Examination for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06Purpose: To evaluate characteristics of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) that were associated with the ability to tolerate a dental examination following desensitization therapy. Methods: Caregivers of 168 children with ASD who attended a university-based pediatric dental clinic completed pre-visit questionnaires. Questions included demographic information, medical and dental history, behavioral characteristics, communication and self-care abilities. Children visited the clinic for an initial consultation followed by subsequent desensitization visits. The end goal was receiving an oral examination while seated in a dental chair. Bivariate associations with ability to receive a quality dental exam were tested using modified poisson regression. The statistical significance level was set to p