The Management of the Autistic Patient Undergoing Orthodontic Treatment: Case Report

The purpose was to complete an orthodontic treatment of expansion in a patient with Autistic Spectrum Disorder, checking and improving his Oral Hygiene Index and managing all the risk factors using the medical-pedagogical approach. A 7-year old boy affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder came to the Paediatric Dentistry Unit, University Hospital Policlinico Umberto I. At the clinical examination posterior unilateral left cross bite and Plaque Index Code 3 were observed. It has been decided to begin an orthodontic therapy of expansion, due to the difficulty in eruption of 2.1 for the permanence of 6.1 in the dental arch. After extraction of 6.1 a rapid palatal expander was cemented, activated twice a day for 15 days and kept as contention for 3 months. Successively it has been substituted with an upper removable transverse expander without activating the screw. With Alternative Augmented Communication (A.A.C) the team was facilitated in the communication with the autistic child through illustrated schemes that showed the tools used during the session and the rules of home oral hygiene.