| dc.description.abstract | Malocclusion is the third most prevalent oral condition worldwide. Individuals with
autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may have parafunctional oral habits that may act as
important causal factors for malocclusions. Literature is still controversial about the
higher occurrence of malocclusion in individuals with ASD compared to those without
ASD. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the
prevalence of malocclusion in individuals with ASD and to compare malocclusion
characteristics between individuals with and without ASD. This systematic review
was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42019151794). Epidemiologic studies that
evaluated malocclusion clinically in individuals with ASD and/or measured
malocclusion in individuals with or without ASD were included. The search was
conducted on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane, Scielo and Lilacs
electronic databases. The identified studies were selected and assessed by two
researchers independently. The risk of bias was analyzed using the Newcastle
Ottawa scale according to the study design. The meta-analysis included the pooled
prevalence and 95% confidence interval (CI 95%) of malocclusion characteristics
among individuals with ASD. The pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% CI were estimated
to assess the relationship between ASD and malocclusion. Of the 2522 articles
identified, 15 studies were included. Regarding the quality of studies, no articles were
considered to be of high quality.. The meta-analyses of prevalence and association
included 12 and 6 articles, respectively. The prevalence of Class I, II and III in
individuals with ASD was 39%, 22% and 8%, respectively. The most prevalent
malocclusion characteristic was increased maxillary overjet (39%, 95%CI 23-54) and
crowding (38%, 95%CI 22-53%). Individuals with ASD had a 53% greater odds (OR
1.53; 95%CI 1.06-2.21) of increased maxillary overjet, and had 73% higher odds (OR
1.73; 95%CI 1.03 -2.90) of deep bite than those without ASD. Furthermore,
individuals with ASD had 20% greater odds (OR 1.20; 95%CI 1.03-1.39) of having at
least one type of malocclusion when compared with those without ASD. The
available evidence suggests that individuals with ASD are more likely to have
malocclusion than individuals without ASD. These findings indicate the importance of
a multidisciplinary team in the health care of individuals with ASD as well as the need
of providing more guidance for these individuals to prevent and reduce harmful oral
habits, with the aim of preventing malocclusion. | |
