PEDODONTIC PERESPECTIVE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF AN AUTISTIC CHILD: A CASE REPORT WITH LITERATURE REVIEW

Dr. Mohamad Arshid Khanday*, Dr. Vijay Amarnath Mundaragi, Dr. Saraswati V. Naik

ABSTRACT

Autism is a lifelong, severe, organic disorder characterised by abnormalities in the brain, especially the cerebellum and limbic system. Children with an autistic disorder may need more dental care and may also be more difficult to treat than healthy children.Providing dental treatment for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) represents a challenge for dentists. In the dental care of such children, the treatment plans implemented are usually determined by several factors, including: the type of autism spectrum disorder, the degree of patient cooperation, dentist/patient communication, the required treatment, self-care skills and parental/dentist support. The purpose of this case report is to report the dental care delivered to a pediatric patients with ASD. It can be concluded that general anesthesia was considered an appropriate dental treatment plan since the two patients in question were lacking the ability to cooperate on the dental chair. In other words, pediatric dental care treatment plans in cases of ASD should be determined by clearly-defined criteria, specifically the benefits and risks of the treatment plans for the safety of both patient and dental care team.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder, Special child, Health care needs, Preventive measures.