Abstract
Many persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities resist basic dental care leading to poor oral health. The present study evaluated the effects of a dental desensitization intervention for two students who had autism spectrum disorder and would not tolerate tooth cleaning and examination. Intervention consisted of gradually exposing the students to steps within a desensitization hierarchy, reinforcing compliance, and progressively fading-eliminating reinforcement. Familiar care-providers implemented intervention within a simulated dental setting at their school. Both students completed intervention successfully and one of them was able to tolerate procedures during visits to a dentist’s office. We discuss the clinical and research implications of these findings.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
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Informed consent was obtained from the parents of both participants included in the study.
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Carter, L., Harper, J.M. & Luiselli, J.K. Dental Desensitization for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder through Graduated Exposure, Reinforcement, and Reinforcement-Fading. J Dev Phys Disabil 31, 161–170 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-018-9635-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-018-9635-8