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Special Health Care Needs
Rose Shakib, DDS (she/her/hers)
Resident
Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Nova Southeastern University
Miami Beach, Florida, United States
Jennifer Chung, PhD, LMFT
Assistant Professor
Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
Judith R. Chin, DDS, MS
Program Director
Nova Southeastern University
Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States
Title: Impact of OHI Presentations for Parents of Children with ASD
Authors: Harooni R, Chung J, Ocanto R, Levi-Minzi M
Affiliation: Nova Southeastern University, Davie, FL
Research supported by Nova Southeastern University, Health Professions Division grant number 334670 and HRSA grant number D88HP20126.
Purpose: Children with special needs, specifically autism spectrum disorder (ASD), often require additional interventions when it comes to dental treatment. Less attention has been devoted to how p<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">arents of children with special needs can improve their children’s oral hygiene. The specific aims of this cross-sectional study are to assess the dental knowledge of parents with children who have ASD before and after educational intervention and to assess caregiver attitude toward their children’s oral health and willingness to assist with their children’s oral hygiene routines before and after educational intervention.
Methods: Parents of children between the ages of 3 and 18 years old who have ASD and are enrolled in the South Florida Autism Charter School were recruited. Participants complete a pre-presentation survey to assess baseline oral health habits and evaluate their attitude towards dental care for children with special needs. Following the pre-presentation survey, a lecture is presented by the principal investigator and participants complete a post-presentation survey to assess the effectiveness of the presentation on improving oral health knowledge and attitudes among p<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">arents of children with ASD. Descriptive statistics and t-tests will be calculated to measure changes in knowledge and attitudes related to oral health.
Results: Pending upon completion of data analysis.
Conclusions: It is expected that there will be a positive improvement between the p<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">re-presentation and post-presentation surveys to show the increase in knowledge and improvement in the parents’ perception of their children’s oral health.
Identify Supporting Agency and Grant Number: Research supported by Nova Southeastern University, Health Professions Division grant number 334670 and HRSA grant number D88HP20126.