Coconut Oil for Improving Oral Health of Autistic Children
Author(s): Baydaa Ali Othman Al-Rawi*
Abstract
This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of coconut oil used in the oral health of autistic children. Sixty autistic children aged 3-5 years were involved in the study. Children randomly divided into two groups: 1st group brushes their teeth with coconut oil and the 2nd group used fluoridated toothpaste. The dmft (decayed, missing, filled tooth) index and debris index were measured in the first day as baseline data then after intervals of 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 3 months and 6 months. At the baseline visit, dmft coconut oil group was (9.910 ± 0.08) while for toothpaste group was (8.430 ± 0.09). After 6 months, dmft coconut oil group was (9.910 ± 0.02) while for toothpaste group was (12.101 ± 0.07). At baseline and 2 weeks visits, most of children judged to have poor oral hygiene level. At 3 and 6 months visits, frequency of coconut oil children showed good oral hygiene continue to be increased significantly while children using toothpaste showed highest level at fair oral hygiene.
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