Oral Health Fatalism and Oral Health Self-Efficacy in Caregivers of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Using Data From a Longitudinal Interventional Study.

This study looked at how parents of autistic children feel about dental care over six months during a dental health program. At the start, many parents felt hopeless about preventing cavities in their children. By six months, more parents felt confident they could help prevent dental problems and were less likely to think cavities were unavoidable. Both parent training and educational materials helped improve parents' attitudes about their child's dental health.

This secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial examined changes in oral health beliefs among 118 caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder over six months. Participants were enrolled in a study comparing parent training intervention to psychoeducational toolkit for improving dental care. Results showed significant improvements in oral health beliefs over time: caregivers became less fatalistic about dental problems (from 25% to 34% disagreeing that cavities are inevitable) and more confident in their ability to manage oral health (from 89% to 95% reporting confidence). While no differences were found between intervention groups, both groups showed meaningful improvements in oral health attitudes, suggesting that any structured dental health intervention may benefit caregivers of autistic children.

Structured oral health interventions can improve caregiver attitudes and confidence regardless of specific approach. Clinicians should focus on addressing fatalistic beliefs and building self-efficacy when supporting families. Both parent training and educational materials appear beneficial for caregivers of autistic children.

Secondary analysis of questionnaire data only. Sample size not clearly reported in abstract. Unclear if improvements in beliefs translate to actual behavioral changes or better oral health outcomes. Limited follow-up period of six months.

To evaluate changes over time in oral health fatalism (OHF) and oral health self-efficacy (OHSE) in the context of an intervention, in caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).This secondary analysis used questionnaire data from a parent study of 118 Medicaid-eligible families of children with ASD enrolled in a longitudinal, multi-site randomized clinical trial testing the efficacy of a novel parent training (PT) intervention relative to psychoeducational toolkit for improving home oral hygiene and dental health. OHF and OHSE belief endorsements were evaluated at baseline, three months, and six months.At baseline, 25 percent of caregivers disagreed with the OHF-endorsing statement "Most children eventually develop dental cavities," and 11 percent did not report confidence with OHSE statements. At six months, 34 percent did not endorse OHF and five percent did not report confidence with OHSE. Using the generalized linear mixed model, the percent change from baseline to six months in caregivers disagreeing with OHF and endorsing OHSE was significant (P<0.05).

A repeated mea- sures analysis of variance test determined the relationship between the effects of treatment and time on OHF and OHSE. No difference was found in OHF and OHSE beliefs over time between groups (P>0.05); however, a significant effect was found on OHF change over time within subjects (P<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in endorsement of OHF or OHSE between groups at six months. However, within all subjects, OHF beliefs became less endorsed and OHSE confidence improved over time.