Objectives: Patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be more predisposed to oral pathology, including dentoalveolar trauma. Our aim was to assess the risk of dentoalveolar trauma in patients with ASD.

Materials and methods: Meta-analysis methodology was used to compare the prevalence of dentoalveolar trauma in individuals with ASD compared to individuals without ASD. A literature search was carried out, with predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, to identify controlled studies evaluating dentoalveolar trauma in individuals with ASD. Data were combined using the random-effects meta-analysis model.

Results: Out of an initial 154 studies, 14 were selected for inclusion in the meta-analysis, resulting in a total of 1488 individuals with ASD. Meta-analysis results showed significant difference in the overall risk of dentoalveolar trauma between individuals with ASD versus a control group (RR = 1.45). Looking at specific types of dentoalveolar trauma, individuals with ASD were found to be more at risk for partial or total (avulsion) luxation injuries (RR = 3.02) than healthy individuals.

Conclusions: Individuals with ASD are more at risk for dentoalveolar trauma than those without ASD, especially for more severe dentoalveolar trauma such as luxation and avulsion injuries.