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a Department of Oral Pathology, Oral Medicine and Maxillofacial Imaging,
b Department of Oral Rehabilitation,
c Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
The Maurice and Gabriela Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
Aims: To evaluate the prevalence of oral habits, bruxism, and Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) in juveniles with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) behaviors.
Methods: Data from165 juveniles diagnosed with ASD, were divided into one group aged 6-21 (n=86) and another aged 13-21 (n=79).
Results: Sleep bruxism was reported by 26.7% in the younger group and by 5% in the older group. Awake bruxism was reported by 22% and 17.7%, respectively. Oral habits were reported by 43% of all participants, with similar rate in both age groups. TMD-related pain was low in both age groups (6.3% and 7% respectively). The influence of the COVID 19 pandemic on oral parafunction was moderate in the younger group (17.4%) and mild in the older group (8.6%), the influence on bruxism was mild in both groups (5.8% and 2.5%, respectively).
Conclusion: The prevalence of bruxism and oral parafunctions did not differ from the reported in the literature for the general population.
