Dental awareness of the parents, dietary habits and oral hygiene of autistic children at Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Autistic Center in King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (observational study)

Background: Dental health care is very challenging for autistic children and their families. The study aims to report baseline information about the dental awareness of the parents and dental health of a group of autistic children in King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah. This information proved essential for enhancing the quality of care provided at the hospital. It facilitated the development of impactful educational initiatives tailored for autistic children and their families, to enhance their overall well-being and oral health. Methods: Consent forms were dispersed among the parents or legal guardians of autistic children, while the questionnaires, written in simple Arabic, encompassed socio-demographic details, the child’s daily dietary and oral hygiene practices and the parents’ dental knowledge. The chi-square test was employed to explore relationships between categorical variables, assuming a normal distribution. Significance was determined using the conventional p-value of < 0.05 to reject the null hypothesis. Results: The total of 72 samples showed that 86% were male autistic patients and 13.9% were females. Their ages range from 6–8 years old. Most of the parents had a high school education. The frequent use of sweet food as a reward scored 73.6%. At the same time, a soft diet was favored by 68% of the participants, and 81.9% of the children demonstrated a preference for snacking between meals. In terms of tooth brushing habits, most mothers assisted their children with brushing (80.6%), while 55.6% of the children brushed their teeth independently. Furthermore, 79% of the participants indicated a dislike for the taste of toothpaste. When asked about seeking dental care for their child when experiencing dental pain, 72.2% of parents responded positively, however, they showed reluctance towards conducting regular dental check-ups at home. Conclusions: Most parents knew about oral hygiene, but their attitudes and practices needed to reflect the same knowledge.