IOSR Journal of Dental and Medical Sciences (IOSR-JDMS) e-ISSN: 2279-0853, p-ISSN: 2279-0861.Volume 15, Issue 9 Ver. V (September). 2016), PP 100-105 www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/0853-150905100105 www.iosrjournals.org 100 | Page Barriers To Dental Care for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder- A Pilot Study Dr. Nithya Annie Thomas 1 , Dr. Priya Shetty 2 , Dr. Sowmya B. 3 , Dr. Venkatesh Kodgi 1 1 (Postgraduate Student, Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, A.J. Institute of Dental Sciences, India) 2 (Reader, Department Of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, A.J. Institute of Dental Sciences, India) 3 (Professor & H.O.D., Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, A.J. Institute of Dental Sciences, India) Abstract: Context: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of lifelong, neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by severe impairment of social reciprocity, communication and behavior. Complexity in barriers to dental care may be due to behavioral, emotional or developmental disturbances, inability to communicate and financial disincentives. Objective: To assess the barriers to dental care for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Materials and method: A cross sectional, case control questionnaire based study was done to evaluate the main hurdles to dental care experienced by children with ASD in Mangalore city. The study group comprised of parents / care takers of children aged 3-12 years with ASD attending special schools in Mangalore city. The questionnaire comprised of closed ended questions, regarding individual barriers while accessing dental care and the proportions of individual barriers to dental care. The data obtained was evaluated using Chi-square test and Fischer’s exact test. Significance was deemed at p˂0.001. Results: 83.9% of the respondents reported difficulty in managing the behavior of the children with ASD. Other barriers reported were the child’s inability to communicate and dentist’s lack of knowledge and training children with ASD. Conclusions: This research has given an insight into the barriers to dental care experienced by children with ASD in Mangalore city. Access to general practitioners and pediatric dentists should be facilitated by awareness and health policies. Specialized training of dentists and dental students to manage children with special needs should be mandatory. Clinical implications: This research identified potential barriers to dental care experienced by children with ASD from the perspective of parents/care givers in Mangalore city. This has allowed a greater understanding of the issues that may be faced by this diverse group. It is crucial to gain a better understanding of how these problems could be ameliorated. Dentists should adapt their practices to meet the needs of children with ASD and accept that the needs of children with ASD differ from those of other children. Keywords: Barriers, Dental care, Autism spectrum disorder I. Introduction The word autism is derived from two Greek words: “autos” which means “self”, and “ismos” which means a state of being. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are a group of disorders with common lacks in three specific areas: Communication, social interaction and imaginative thought of play. The term “spectrum” discloses the fact that two ASD affected individuals do not behave the same [1] . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011 (CDC) defines persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as those who demonstrate “impairments in social, communicative and behavior development, that typically are present before the age of three years and are often accompanied by abnormalities in cognitive functioning, learning, attention and sensory processing” [2] . The oral health needs of children with ASD neglected by the parents, because they may face other major problems in upbringing a child with special health needs. Several studies based on parental reports expressed problems in obtaining dental care for their children with special health care needs (CHSN). Dental treatment need is identified as the greatest neglected health need of persons with developmental disabilities [3] . Unmet dental needs can be subdivided into inability to access care and potentially inappropriate care [4] . This may be due to various barriers that hinder the parent or the child to avail quality dental treatment. Unresponsiveness to demonstrations and inability to set personal contacts with the dental personnel may hinder professional oral health treatment. Also, the inability to communicate and share