LAUSR

BACKGROUND This population-based cohort study investigated dental procedures in the hospital setting in Western Australian children with or without intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorder aged up to 18 years. Considering previously reported disparities in dental disease between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian children, this study also investigated the effect of Indigenous status on dental procedures. METHODS Data on Western Australian live births from 1983 to 2010 from the Midwives Notification System were linked to the Intellectual Disability Exploring Answers database and the Hospital Morbidity Data collection. Primary admissions for relevant dental diagnoses were identified, and treatment procedures for dental hospitalisation were investigated. Descriptive statistics and Pearson's chi-squared test of independence were used for analysis. RESULTS Overall, 76,065 episodes of dental hospitalisation were recorded. Among children with intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorder, Indigenous children experienced more extractions and fewer restorations (68.7% and 16.2%) compared to non-Indigenous children (51.5% and 25.9%). After six years, extraction occurred less often in children with intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorder than in those without, where most surgical dental extractions were in the 13-18 years age group. CONCLUSIONS This study indicates a need for further improvements in access to dental services and the quality of care provided in hospitals for children with ID/ASD. There is also concern that more vulnerable Indigenous and all disadvantaged children are receiving an inadequate level of dental services resulting in more emergency dental hospitalisation and invasive treatment. © 2022 Australian Dental Association.