Parents who have to fight with their autistic child because he steadfastly refuses to let his mouth be touched can finally count on the first specialized hygienist to come to your home for dental care in Montreal.
“It’s day and night,” rejoices Salma Akter, mother of a six-year-old girl living with autism spectrum disorder.
Little Ariana categorically refused to let her mother brush her teeth. On his first visit to the dentist, it was impossible to examine him.
That’s when dental hygienist Michèle De Guise stepped in. After only two sessions at home, where she uses toys and pictograms to explain the course of a visit to the dentist, everything has changed.
Courtesy
Salma Akter’s daughter, six-year-old Ariana, who refused to open her mouth for the dentist, completely changed her attitude after just two sessions with the specialized CIUSSS hygienist. Photo courtesy of Salma Akter
“She was in a hurry, launches the still surprised mother. Every day, she asked me when her appointment was.
And time was running out according to Ms. Akter. She saw that her daughter had a lot of tartar and swollen and red gums.
A single post
Since last fall, dental hygienist Michèle De Guise has held a unique position in Quebec within the Integrated University Health and Social Services Center (CIUSSS) of the Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal.
As part of a multidisciplinary team working with people with autism, she helps children, but also some adults, to learn about dental care.
Often reluctant to touch, children with autism are particularly difficult to sit in a dentist’s chair. Their oral health suffers and they often require longer, more complex care.
Mrs. De Guise recognizes that for a child, sometimes non-verbal or with behavioral problems, “the teeth come at the end” in the needs of families.
“But afterwards, it snowballed. The child has a toothache and he finds himself in general anesthesia, ”she recalls.
Moreover, more than 5,000 children per year in Quebec with an autism spectrum disorder undergo dental surgery under general anesthesia in a hospital setting.
like a game
She believes her playful, play-based approach is key to her success with children with autism.
“As they are very visual, they need images,” she says. With images, it details step by step a visit to the dentist. “They need to know when something starts and when it ends. It reduces anxiety,” she continues.
A colorful beach chair replaces that of the dentist for his young clientele, for example. Then, stuffed animals with large teeth serve as patients to familiarize them with brushing.
Ms. De Guise’s goal is to make it easier to brush your teeth at least twice a day. A crucial prevention to avoid longer and more expensive dental treatments afterwards.
Already, a dozen families have benefited from these services and the demand is only growing, indicates the CIUSSS. And the initiative, which is bearing fruit, could have a small effect elsewhere in the province.