Long-term impact of Covid-19 in clinical management of autistic children

Aim: In July 2020 the working activity in the Pediatric Dentistry Department of Policlinico Umberto I of Rome restarted. The primary goal was to take up again the service dedicated to children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, the new increasing number of infections, impacted again on the services, with consequences on the oral health of ASD patients. In light of this, a new evaluation survey was administered to the same group of interviewees of June 2020, to evaluate the evolution of the pandemic on the reorganization of the clinical service. Methods : The study included parents of ASD children aged between 3 and 18, attending the Department. Results : In June 2021, 100 parents were administered an online anonymous survey; 70 fully filled surveys were received. The questions focused on the level of satisfaction regarding the service offered between July 2020 and May 2021 and the impact of Covid-19 on the reorganization of the project. 56% of the subjects affirms that pandemic greatly affected the organization of our Department, while 44% does not. The same difficulties encountered in using Telemedicine in the lockdown in 2020 are still present. 18% (2021) versus 19% (2020), finds it difficult to use, while 41% (2021) versus 19% (2020), finds it easy to use. Conclusion : As soon as the conditions will allow it, we wish to improve the most critical aspects and make our Department a medical center of excellence. Furthermore, we believe that creating a permanent Telemedicine center will be of essential support for families, even in emergency periods.