Oral Habits Occurrence - Capstone Project Example

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurological development whose main characteristic includes impaired social interaction, inability to communicate, and repetitive stereotyped behaviors. It is a behavior that can have a detrimental effect on the well-being of a person who is affected by the condition. While a number of studies on ASD have been conducted in a number of countries in various parts of the world, there is still a lack of adequate knowledge regarding its etiology. Generally, ASD has been introduced as a multifactorial disorder from the ascendancy of genetic environmental conditions that cause them (Nissani 2001).

Studies have been done to establish the prevalence of ASD in the United States and Saudi Arabia by incorporating a number of participants, diagnostic criteria, and geographical environments. The prevalence of ASD has been explained by the lack of availability of services and lack of awareness about ASD in Saudi Arabia compared with the United States where the government has put in measures to control the impact of the condition on the population. The oral function is made up of articulation, swallowing, and chewing.

Oral habits that result in malocclusion may result from abnormal functions that include mouth breathing tongue thrusting, bruxism, swallowing, lip sucking, and unilateral chewing as well as abnormal postures such as forward tongue thrust, the attempt to bite the tongue, and the effort to place the tongue at a resting position. Forces resulting from unilateral and habitual characteristics that act on maxillofacial and alveolar areas can contribute to the deformation of the bone structure, resulting in the deformation of the jaws and malocclusion.

Malocclusion is basically frequent in populations, irrespective of the region in which a study is conducted, the ethnic background of a person, age, gender, or social class of a person, and is associated with a varied morphological and pathological condition. When etiology and malocclusion are considered, most studies indicate possible factors but do not provide a working hypothesis that enables the creation of a balance with clinical relevance.