There are over 700,000 adults and children diagnosed with autism in the UK. Autism is characterised by impairments in communications and social relationships and a repeated, restricted repertoire of activities, behaviours and interests. It varies widely in symptoms and severity, covering a broad spectrum among those diagnosed with it.
Among autistic individuals, high levels of oral health complications are prevalent, such as tooth decay. Finding ways to help maintain positive oral health among autistic patients is crucial to their overall wellbeing.
Hypersensitivity
Many patients with autism find visiting the dentist challenging, with crowded waiting rooms, new staff, bright lights, invasive procedures, and new smells and tastes among some of the stressors that hypersensitive autistic individuals may be discomforted by. As such, these patients can be difficult to treat, and many can go untreated.
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