{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,9]],"date-time":"2026-10-09T18:56:04Z","timestamp":1791572164532,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,10]],"date-time":"2022-03-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1646870400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Children"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Purpose: The importance of dental care and oral hygiene is often underestimated in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Comorbidity with dental anxiety is greater in ASD subjects who also show unusual reactions to sensory stimuli. The aim of our study was to assess the efficacy for a sensory-adapted environment and targeted methods in reducing anxiety and positively influencing cooperation in children with ASD during a dental examination or specific treatments. Material and methods: The sample consisted of 50 Italian children with a diagnosis of ASD (36 males and 14 females; aged 9\u201310 years) presenting with mild intellectual disability (ID) and verbal language skills. The subjects enrolled in the study had at least two decayed teeth and all were treated in two different dental environments: regular dental environment (RDE) and sensory-adapted dental environment (SADE). Results: 20% of the sample was successfully treated in RDE, while 68% of subjects were successfully treated in SADE. Conclusions: Results suggest that a sensory-adapted environment positively affects the therapeutic dental treatment in patients with ASD and reaffirm that sensory dysregulation in children with ASD is a crucial factor influencing the successful outcome of oral care.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/children9030393","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,10]],"date-time":"2022-03-10T11:46:47Z","timestamp":1646912807000},"page":"393","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":33,"title":["Sensory-Adapted Dental Environment for the Treatment of Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"9","author":[{"given":"Antonio","family":"Fallea","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, Via Conte Ruggero 73, 94018 Troina, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rosa","family":"Zuccarello","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, Via Conte Ruggero 73, 94018 Troina, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7371-0228","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michele","family":"Roccella","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giuseppe","family":"Quatrosi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sciences for Health Promotion and Mother and Child Care \u201cG. D\u2019Alessandro\u201d, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Serena","family":"Donadio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sciences for Health Promotion and Mother and Child Care \u201cG. D\u2019Alessandro\u201d, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0121-3396","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Luigi","family":"Vetri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, Via Conte Ruggero 73, 94018 Troina, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8667-8223","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesco","family":"Cal\u00ec","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, Via Conte Ruggero 73, 94018 Troina, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"American Psychiatric Association (2013). 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