Acceptance of Video Based Oral Health Education in Special Child: A Epidemiological Study Sharma Geeta1,*, Kumar Randhir2 1Professor, Department of Oral Pathology, Sarjug Dental College and Hospital, Darbhanga, Bihar, India 2Professor, Department of Periodontology, PDCH, Patna, Bihar, India *Corresponding author Dr. Geeta Sharma, Professor, Dept of Oral Pathology, Sarjug Dental College and Hospital, Darbhanga, Bihar-846003, India, Email: docgeetarandhir@gmail.com
Online published on 17 February, 2020. Abstract Purpose Oral health education is effective in improving the knowledge, attitude and practice of oral health along with plaque control. Video based learning and teaching in dentistry has been documented in various fields. This mode of education have beneficial effects on the development of interpersonal and communication skills, more in situations like treatment of children as observed in previous studies. In children with special needs like Cognitive impairment, dental care is taken as low priority due to their fear of discomfort. Feeding problems among them leads to offering foods that will be accepted, without regard for nutrient content. All these increase their susceptibility for poor oral hygiene. So this study is aimed to assess the acceptance and benefits of Oral Health Education Program in these children by means of video based clips over conventional methods of oral health education for the prevention of periodontal problems. Material and Methods Total of 30 children with cognitive impairment were enrolled in the present trial. The subjects were randomly assigned to 2 experimental groups. Group (1) was given oral education with help of tooth brush model, child himself/herself in front of the mirror and Group (2) was given video based oral health education. Results of both groups were compared on the basis of outcome measures of plaque and gingival health at baseline, 2 weeks, 3, 6 and 12 months. Assessment of their brushing skills and their involvement in oral hygiene maintenance was performed by questionnaires to their parents. Results According to evaluation of plaque made at 2 weeks and 3 months, Group I showed better plaque control than Group II after 2 weeks. At 3 months both the groups showed similar results. Both groups showed increased involvement in their oral hygiene maintenance after 3 months. Conclusion Video based oral health education is widely gaining popularity and is being used for communication in school and at home for pediatric patients including children with mental disorders. The present study showed manual mode of demonstration is beneficial over audiovisual aids but it can be used as adjunctive, reinforcement tool for improving oral hygiene of these children with special needs. Top Keywords Oral Health Education, special child, oral hygiene. Top |