Oral health-related quality of life in children and adolescent with autism spectrum disorders and neurotypical peers: a nested case–control questionnaire survey

Purpose Oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of children with autism following an oral preventive regimen (ASDsP) was compared to that of children with autism without a preventive regimen (ASDsNP) and of neurotypical peers (NT). Methods An online survey was carried out using the Parental/Caregiver Perception Questionnaire (P-CPQ) and the Family Impact Scale (FIS). Scores were assigned to items, with the total score ranging from 0 to 120 (worst QoL). The median scores were compared amongst groups using the Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests. A multivariate linear regression assessed the relationship between questionnaire scores and demographical variables. Results Overall, 168 questionnaires from the ASDsP and the ASDsNP groups, respectively, and 336 from the NT group were selected ASDsP compared to ASDsNP showed lower P-CPQ Emotional wellbeing, FIS Emotion (p < 0.01) and Conflict (p < 0.05), and FIS total score (p < 0.01). In addition, they were less nervous (p < 0.05), shy (p < 0.01), with better sleep (p < 0.05), and with happier parents (p < 0.01). Compared to NT, ASDsP showed higher P-CPQ + FIS, P-CPQ, and FIS total scores (p < 0.01) and P-CPQ Functional limitation, Social wellbeing (p < 0.01), Emotional wellbeing (p < 0.05), and FIS Activity, Emotion and Conflict (p < 0.01). Conclusion The preventive regimen reduces parental stress, improving the quality of life of children and families.