The effect of culturally adapted oral hygiene dental visual aids on plaque removal in autistic children: A randomized clinical trial.

Researchers tested whether specially designed visual aids that consider cultural factors work better than regular visual aids for teaching autistic children oral hygiene. After six months, children who used the culturally adapted visual aids had better oral hygiene than those using regular visual aids, though the improvement wasn't dramatic. This suggests that visual aids designed with cultural considerations may be more effective for helping autistic children learn dental care skills.

This randomized controlled trial investigated whether culturally adapted visual aids improve oral hygiene in autistic children compared to conventional visual aids over six months. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either culturally adapted dental visual aids (Aljubour method) or conventional visual aids. Oral hygiene was measured using the Silness and Löe plaque index. While the culturally adapted group did not show statistically significant plaque reduction within-group (p=0.120), there was a significant between-group difference (p=0.002), with children using culturally adapted visual aids demonstrating better oral hygiene outcomes than those using conventional aids after six months.

Culturally adapted visual aids may be more effective than conventional approaches for improving oral hygiene in autistic children. Clinicians should consider cultural factors when selecting or developing visual aids for teaching oral hygiene skills. Further research with larger samples is needed to confirm these findings.

Sample size is not reported, limiting assessment of statistical power. The study duration of six months may be insufficient to capture long-term sustainability of improvements. The specific cultural adaptations made to the visual aids are not described in the abstract.

Culturally tailored visual aids are a vital educational resource for facilitating skill acquisition in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This study evaluates the effectiveness of a culturally adapted dental visual aid, developed by Aljubour, in enhancing the oral hygiene of children with ASD over a six-month follow-up period. A longitudinal, blinded, randomized, and controlled clinical trial was conducted over six months. Participants were allocated into two groups: Group I received the Aljubour culturally adapted dental visual aids, while Group II received conventional dental visual aids.

Oral hygiene status was assessed using the Silness and Löe plaque index. Although the reduction in mean plaque index following six months of using the culturally adapted visual aids was not statistically significant (P = 0.120), a significant difference was observed between the two study groups (P = 0.002). The findings indicate that children with ASD who utilized the Aljubour culturally adapted dental visual aids demonstrated a significant improvement in oral hygiene status compared to those who used conventional dental visual aids after a six-month evaluation period.