Dieta y caries en niños con trastorno del espectro autista: revisión de la literatura

Abstract

Diet plays a fundamental role in healthy growth and development. Some unhealthy eating habits can negatively affect the oral and general health of a child, in the diet of children with ASD there are particularities such as a soft, monotonous diet and preference for certain foods which can make them more susceptible to dental caries in addition to alterations in sensory taste perception, poor oral hygiene and the continuous lack of dental care. Objective: To carry out a review of the literature on the prevalence of dental caries in patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and its relationship with diet. Methodology: A bibliographic search was carried out in digital databases Pubmed, Science Direct, Cochrane, Scopus, Elseiver, Scielo, articles published between 2013 and 2023 were selected, taking into consideration keywords, Title, Abstract. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to the articles found; the sample was established in 17 reviews. Results: When analyzing and comparing the selected articles; the evidence does not show a statistically significant prevalence of caries between children with ASD and healthy children despite the limited diet due to altered sensory perception to food, they manifest oral hyposensitivity and hypersensitivity and problems in chewing and swallowing. Conclusion: Children with ASD have been shown to maintain a cariogenic diet as described in the studies, so the supervision of parents and health personnel favors the decrease of caries in this population.