Autism Comes to the Pediatric Hospital: Perspectives of Child Life Specialists

The hospital setting may be especially difficult for pediatric patients on the autism spectrum and their families compared to those not on the spectrum. Child life specialists are healthcare professionals specifically trained to support parents and their children and help prepare them for hospital procedures. Because of this specialized skill set, these professionals likely have a wealth of expertise to share relevant to caring for autistic patients. This study aimed to understand 21 child life specialists' experiences working with patients on the spectrum. Our findings highlighted the following themes: Parents are the Experts, Proactive and Individualized Care, Disclosure, and Hospital-Wide Suggestions to Improve Patient Care. We discuss the practice implications of these findings on the healthcare experiences of pediatric patients on the spectrum.

Dental health status and treatment needs of police personnel of a north Indian state: a cross-sectional study

Background:

Oral health is an integral part of general health. Police personnel form the backbone for safety and security of a community hence their health is of utmost importance.

Aim:

The present study was conducted to assess the oral health status and treatment needs of police personnel employed in police stations of three districts within 35 km radius around Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Mullana.

Subjects and Methods:

A cross-sectional study was conducted on all the available police personnel at various police stations. Final sample size comprised of 652 subjects. The data were recorded on modified World Health Organization format (1997).

Results:

The mean age of subjects was 41.02 years (standard deviation = 12.29), 98.9% (645/652) were males and 1.1% (7/652) were females. The prevalence of dental caries was 54.3% (352/652) and the mean decayed, missing and filled teeth was 3.05. Mean number of teeth requiring filling and extraction were 0.44 and 0.67 respectively. Only 2.92% (19/652) of subjects possessed prosthesis in mandibular arch and a same number of individuals possessed prosthesis in maxillary arch. Regarding highest community periodontal index (CPI) score, 23.6% (153/652) subjects had a healthy periodontium whereas maximum subjects (61.3%, 398/652) had a CPI score 2.

Conclusion:

Prevalence of dental caries was quite high. Despite a high prosthetic need, only a small number of subjects possessed dental prosthesis. Overall periodontal status was satisfactory with a high number of subjects having completely healthy periodontium.