Sensory Adaptations in Dental Environments (SADE)
Cluster: Autism, Sensory Processing, and Neurodevelopment ⟩ Cluster: Health Services and Health Equity ⟩
The Sensory Adaptations in Dental Environments lab, led by Sharon Cermak, studies interventions that alter the sensory characteristics of the dental environment in order to decrease children’s physiological anxiety and negative responses during oral care and contribute to increased child comfort as well as safer, more efficient, and less costly dental treatment. If successful, this intervention has the potential to revolutionize clinic-based dental care for the growing population of children with autism spectrum disorder, as well as for typically developing children with dental anxiety and/or sensory over-responsivity.
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Completed projects
Cluster: Autism, Sensory Processing, and Neurodevelopment ⟩ Cluster: Health Services and Health Equity ⟩ Cluster: Work, Health, and Occupational Engagement ⟩
The SADE-2 study is a randomized clinical trial of 184 ethnically diverse children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We are investigating the efficacy of a sensory adapted dental environment (SADE) compared to a regular dental environment (RDE) to decrease children’s physiological anxiety,…
Period: May 2015 – Apr 2022
Federal Funding
$3,783,021
Cluster: Autism, Sensory Processing, and Neurodevelopment ⟩ Cluster: Health Services and Health Equity ⟩ Cluster: Work, Health, and Occupational Engagement ⟩
Abstract The goal of this research project is to collect information that will support a later clinical trial on the effectiveness of a specially adapted dental environment for children who have difficulty tolerating oral care in the dental clinic. Within this project, two groups of children will be…
Period: Sep 2011 – Aug 2015
Federal Funding
$531,376
In Chan News
June 2, 2023
Results of USC–CHLA study of 162 autistic children show that safe and feasible adaptations to the clinic environment created more relaxed, less anxious dental care experiences.
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