NIH Grant: Sensory-Adapted Dental Environment for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Project Description:
Need: Oral health is integral to both physical and psychological well-being. A factor that can contribute to poor oral care is sensory processing difficulties, which are well-documented in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In the dental office, exacerbation of sensory sensitivities can stem both from dental cleaning and the environmental characteristics of the dental operatory, which can be perceived as highly noxious.
Goals/Objectives: 1. To examine whether children with autism spectrum disorders show greater anxiety (arousal) than typical children during a routine dental cleaning procedure. 2. To examine the effects of a sensory adapted environment on the behavior and anxiety (arousal levels) of children with autism spectrum disorders compared to typical children during a routine dental cleaning procedure.
Unusual features: Participants will be children and adolescents diagnosed with ASD and their typically developing counterparts, 6-18 years of age. Using a randomized crossover design, participants will undergo a routine professional dental cleaning in a standard environment and a sensory adapted environment, administered in counterbalanced order. Both behavioral and physiological responses will be monitored. Behavioral parameters include mean number, duration and magnitude of anxious behaviors and positive coping behaviors as monitored by video recording. Psychophysiological parameters reflecting anxiety will be measured by changes in electrodermal activity and EKG data. Stress will further be examined using parental rating of the child?s anxiety. Environment preference per child report will be collected, as well as length of duration of dental cleaning and dental professional feedback.
Expected benefits: Utilizing strategies to adapt the sensory environment in the dental office by minimizing the effects of noxious stimuli may be highly beneficial to children with sensory sensitivities such as children with ASD.
Keyword(s):
sensory adaptation; dental; autism spectrum disorder; anxiety
Core Function(s):
Performing Research or Evaluation
Area of Emphasis
Health-Related Activities
Target Audience:
Students/Trainees (long or intermediate trainees), Professionals and Para-Professionals, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Limited English, Geographic Areas, Urban, Specific Groups
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
International
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
