Caring for Smiles on the Spectrum

For people on the autism spectrum, everyday oral care and dental visits can be harder than for neurotypical peers. Sensory sensitivities (to tastes, textures, sounds and lights), communication differences, routine needs, and some medications that cause dry mouth all raise the risk of tooth decay, gum disease and untreated dental pain. These challenges mean prevention, gentle behaviour-focused approaches, and close coordination between families and dental teams are especially important.

Start with the basics at home.

• Break toothbrushing into predictable steps.
• Use short, neutral language.
• Try different toothbrush textures (manual or electric, only if tolerated).
• Experiment with toothpaste flavours or low-foaming formulas if strong tastes are a problem.
• Visual supports (pictures, social stories, or a simple step-by-step chart).
• Let the person touch and explore dental tools before use to reduce anxiety and improve cooperation.
• Small, frequent brushing sessions that prioritise cleaning all tooth surfaces are better than long, stressful attempts that aren’t sustainable.

Make dental visits easier with preparation. Many dental practices now offer pre-visit tours, extended appointment times, and desensitisation visits that let the person become familiar with the clinic, chair and staff before any treatment. Behavioural strategies such as graduated exposure, visual schedules, and partnering with the caregiver to plan comfort measures are evidence-based ways to improve success at the dentist. When needed, specialised paediatric dentists or clinics experienced with sensory and developmental differences can provide adapted techniques including quick, minimally invasive options like topical or silver diamine fluoride for decay control when full treatment is difficult.

Work closely with the wider care team. Many families benefit from coordinating dental care with paediatricians, developmental-behavioural specialists, speech and occupational therapists, and pharmacists, especially where medication side effects or feeding behaviours affect oral health. Regular preventive care reduces pain and improves quality of life, according to the medical and dental experts at Mayo Medical Centre in Minnesota, USA.

Checklist for Families

• Daily – aim for twice daily brushing with fluoride toothpaste if tolerated, clean between teeth where possible.
• Dentist visits – choose a practice that offers longer appointments or sensory-friendly times.
• Behaviour supports – use social stories, visual schedules, and small-step desensitisation.
• Medication review – discuss dry mouth or sugar-containing medicines with the prescribing clinician and dentist.

New Benefit

DeCare have new dental benefits* for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (TeamCare Level 2 or higher). It includes a dental case management benefit of €100 for each dental visit, and also provides for an additional cleaning and topical fluoride application per calendar year for people with ASD level 2 or higher.

This benefit is intended to help families access tailored care pathways, coordination with dental teams, and extra preventive fluoride support to reduce the higher oral-health burden often seen in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

*Effective 1st January 2026