{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T05:04:53Z","timestamp":1789535093106,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789516800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Dent. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Purpose<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study aimed to characterize oral health status, oral hygiene practices, and caregiver-reported dental care experiences among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and to describe caregiver awareness and practices related to oral care.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This descriptive cross-sectional pilot study included 53 children aged 3-18 years with a confirmed ASD diagnosis recruited from the \u201cAutism Pobedim\u201d rehabilitation center in Almaty. Clinical examinations assessed caries using the DMFT\/dmft and CAST indices and oral hygiene using the OHI-S index. A study-specific 36-item caregiver questionnaire collected information on home oral hygiene, dental care experiences, and selected developmental characteristics.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Only 24.5% of children brushed their teeth twice daily, and most required parental assistance. Overall, 30.2% had never visited a dentist, while 58.5% of caregivers reported major difficulties during dental visits. Reported management approaches in the sample included physical restraint, sedation, and general anesthesia. Overall, 39.6% of children had received completed dental treatment. In addition, 71.7% consumed sweets between meals and only 17.0% rinsed their mouths after eating. Although 75.5% of caregivers reported checking toothpaste composition, professional guidance on oral hygiene was limited.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>In this single-center sample, children with ASD had a substantial burden of dental caries, suboptimal home oral hygiene, limited independent oral care, and caregiver-reported challenges during dental treatment. These exploratory findings support larger multicenter studies and further evaluation of tailored preventive, caregiver-education, and behavior-support strategies for children with ASD in Kazakhstan.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fdmed.2026.1928744","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,16]],"date-time":"2026-09-16T04:34:48Z","timestamp":1789533288000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Oral health status in children with autism spectrum disorder in Almaty, Kazakhstan"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"7","author":[{"given":"Zh.","family":"Yerkibayeva","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University","place":["Almaty, Kazakhstan"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"G.","family":"Yermukhanova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University","place":["Almaty, Kazakhstan"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"K.","family":"Saduakasova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Al-Farabi Kazakh National University","place":["Almaty, Kazakhstan"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"S.","family":"Yessembayeva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University","place":["Almaty, Kazakhstan"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Y.","family":"Menchisheva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"King\u2019s College London, Franklin Wilkins Building","place":["London, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"K.","family":"Rakhimov","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University","place":["Almaty, 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