Oral health knowledge, attitude, and performance of the parents of 3–12-year-old autistic children

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the oral health knowledge, attitude, and performance of the parents of autistic 3–12-year-old. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study evaluated 50 parents of autistic 3–12-year-old in Isfahan city. The oral health knowledge, attitude, and performance of the parents were evaluated using a self-administered questionnaire with closed questions, after confirming its validity and reliability. Data were analyzed using independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient, regression analysis, and Cronbach's alpha (α =0.05). RESULTS: Of children, 32 (64%) were males and 18 (36%) were females. A total of 28 (56%) fathers and 22 (44%) mothers participated in this study. The mean age of the children and parents was 8.12 ± 2.4 years and 39.6 ± 6.8 years, respectively. The mean age at the time of diagnosis of autism was 4.08 ± 1.33 years. Of all children, 24 (46.2%) had a previous dental history. The mean scores of the knowledge and attitude of the parents were 5.2 ± 1.7 out of 11, and 16.1 ± 3.1 out of 30, respectively. Of demographic variables, order of child birth had a significant correlation with attitude of the parents, and those with one single child had significantly higher attitude score (P = 0.03). CONCLUSION: The oral health knowledge, attitude, and performance of the parents of autistic children in Isfahan city were lower than expected, which calls for knowledge enhancement strategies in this respect.