Oral Health Fatalism and Oral Health Self-Efficacy in Caregivers of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Using Data From a Longitudinal Interventional Study.

Purpose: To evaluate changes over time in oral health fatalism (OHF) and oral health self-efficacy (OHSE) in the context of an intervention, in caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods: This secondary analysis used questionnaire data from a parent study of 118 Medicaid-eligible families of children with ASD enrolled in a longitudinal, multi-site randomized clinical trial testing the efficacy of a novel parent training (PT) intervention relative to psychoeducational toolkit for improving home oral hygiene and dental health. OHF and OHSE belief endorsements were evaluated at baseline, three months, and six months. Results: At baseline, 25 percent of caregivers disagreed with the OHF-endorsing statement "Most children eventually develop dental cavities," and 11 percent did not report confidence with OHSE statements. At six months, 34 percent did not endorse OHF and five percent did not report confidence with OHSE. Using the generalized linear mixed model, the percent change from baseline to six months in caregivers disagreeing with OHF and endorsing OHSE was significant (P<0.05). A repeated mea- sures analysis of variance test determined the relationship between the effects of treatment and time on OHF and OHSE. No difference was found in OHF and OHSE beliefs over time between groups (P>0.05); however, a significant effect was found on OHF change over time within subjects (P<0.05). Conclusions: There was no statistically significant difference in endorsement of OHF or OHSE between groups at six months. However, within all subjects, OHF beliefs became less endorsed and OHSE confidence improved over time.