Parents' satisfaction on dental care of Dutch children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Purpose To assess if Dutch children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) regularly visit a dentist and to evaluate parent's satisfaction on the care provided. Methods Parents of ASD children (2-18 years) were invited to fill out a survey. The survey consisted of questions regarding ASD severity, frequency of dental visits, history of dental pain, type of dental practice and parents' satisfaction. Results were analysed using Chi square and Mann-Whitney U tests (alpha = 5%). Results Of the 246 returned questionnaires, 19 were excluded (incomplete or unconfirmed ASD diagnosis). All children visited a dentist at least once and 5% of them had their last visit more than 12 months ago. According to parents, 15% of the children did not receive the needed care when they had toothache and 21% of the parents were unsatisfied with the current dental care provided. No difference was found between satisfied and unsatisfied parents in type of dental practice visited (p > 0.05). The children of unsatisfied parents reported more often pain during the last year (p = 0.013) and had a more severe type of ASD (p = 0.016). Conclusions The majority of Dutch ASD children investigated regularly visit a dentist and 21% of the parents is unsatisfied with the dental care provided.