Comparative Evaluation of Three Different Toothbrushing Teaching Interventions in Improving Oral Hygiene in Autistic Children Aged 7-15 Years-A Randomized Clinical Trial.

This study tested three ways to teach toothbrushing to autistic children: using posters, videos, or having parents/caregivers show them directly. All methods helped improve the children's toothbrushing and cooperation, but having a parent or caregiver demonstrate and teach the child worked best. Video teaching was better than using posters alone. The study followed 60 children for 3 months and shows that hands-on teaching by caregivers is the most effective approach.

This randomized controlled trial evaluated three toothbrushing teaching methods in 60 autistic children aged 7-15 years over 3 months. Participants were randomly assigned to visual posters, video demonstrations, or caregiver modeling groups. The study measured toothbrushing skills, behavioral cooperation using the Frankl Scale, and oral hygiene using the Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (OHI-S). All three interventions showed significant improvements, but caregiver modeling was most effective (15.55±1.23), significantly outperforming both video demonstrations (12.80±1.20) and visual posters (10.75±2.49).

Video demonstrations were also significantly more effective than visual posters. The findings suggest that direct caregiver involvement in teaching toothbrushing skills produces superior outcomes in both oral hygiene maintenance and behavioral cooperation among autistic children.

Healthcare providers should recommend caregiver modeling as the primary approach for teaching oral hygiene to autistic children. When direct caregiver involvement is limited, video-based instruction offers a viable alternative to static visual materials. Structured teaching interventions can effectively improve both oral hygiene skills and behavioral cooperation in this population.

The abstract does not report baseline characteristics, blinding procedures, or dropout rates. Long-term follow-up beyond 3 months is not provided. Sample size appears modest for detecting smaller effect differences between groups.

Addressing oral hygiene in children with autism remains a critical concern for dental professionals and caregivers. These challenges make routine toothbrushing difficult and increase the risk of oral health problems. Recognizing the urgent need for practical solutions, this investigation was undertaken to evaluate three structured toothbrushing teaching interventions and their effectiveness among autistic children. This study evaluated the effectiveness of three instructional methods-visual posters, video demonstrations, and caregiver modeling to improve oral hygiene in autistic children aged 7-15 years.

Sixty participants were randomly divided into three groups. Toothbrushing skills, cooperation (Frankl Scale), and oral hygiene (OHI-S) were assessed over 3 months. All groups showed significant improvement. Parent Modeling (15.55 ± 1.23) was highly superior to both Video and Poster groups (p < 0.001).

A statistically significant difference (p = 0.024) was also found favoring the Video (12.80 ± 1.20) over the Poster (10.75 ± 2.49) group. Caregiver modeling was the most effective method for teaching toothbrushing to children with ASD, promoting better outcomes in both oral hygiene and behavioural cooperation. CTRI/2025/03/083547.