Awareness, experience, and knowledge of dentists towards dental practices in individuals with autism spectrum disorder

Introduction
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neuro-developmental disorder characterized by persistent impairment in social communication and interaction, limited interest areas, and restricted and repetitive behaviors. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the awareness, experience, and knowledge of dentists towards dental practices in individuals with ASD.

Material and methods
An online questionnaire consisting of 22 questions and three parts was prepared. Part 1. Demographic characteristics; Part 2. Awareness and experience of dentists about dental practices in individuals with ASD; Part 3. Knowledge of dentists regarding dental practices in individuals with ASD. The questionnaire link was sent to 1,204 potential participants via e-mail. Data were compared using Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test taking into account specialties and professional experience of participants.

Results
In the study, 356 (29.6%) volunteer dentists, including female (n = 110, 30.9%) and male doctors (n = 246, 69.1%) participated. The mean age was 37.38 ± 9.726 years (range, 23-68 years). Of the participants, 52.2% reported that they have previously examined and/or treated an individual with ASD. Most of the participants (95.2%) stated that they were not aware of special arrangements made for individuals with ASD in dental clinic. Statistically significant differences were found between knowledge scores of dentists about dental practices in individuals with ASD, and specialization areas and professional experience of participants.

Conclusions
It was found that dentists’ awareness about dental practices in individuals with ASD was at very low level. The knowledge level of pediatric dentists regarding dental practices in individuals with ASD were better than the knowledge of general dentists and other specialists.