Assessment of Oral Hygiene of Children with Speech and Hearing Impairment Using Tailor-Made Oral Health Education Tools Ashwini K.1, Kushali S.1, Midhuna M.1, Shravani G.1, Sharanya R.1, Anjali2, Aishwarya A.2, Shwetha K.M.3,* 1Undergraduate Student, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Sciences, M.S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Bengaluru-560054 2Post graduate Student, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Sciences, M.S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Bengaluru-560054 3Associate Professor, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Sciences, M.S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Bengaluru-560054 *Corresponding Author E-mail: shwethskm@gmail.com
Online published on 24 January, 2020. Abstract Background The oral health status of children with hearing and speech impairment reported poor oral hygiene and low utilization of dental services. Hence, it is important to understand their specific oral health needs and to plan interventions accordingly. Objectives To develop oral health education tools for these children and to assess their effectiveness in improving oral health. Methods and Methodology School for Deaf and Dumb in Bengaluru city was considered for the study. The duration of the study was 30 days. Golden Rules for Oral Health was taken as the basis for preparing health education material. The team members were trained for educating the study group in sign language and also calibrated to measure oral hygiene using Oral Hygiene Index Simplified (OHI-S). Flipcharts were handcrafted for visual acceptance, Models for a 3-Dimensional view of the oral cavity were prepared. Video in sign language about brushing technique was shown and leaflets were designed as hand-outs and peer leaders were trained to reinforce the learning. Pre-intervention and post-intervention data were collected using WHO basic oral health survey for children, 2013 questionnaire and the OHI-S. Data was analysed using SPSS (version 20.0). Results Thirty four school children were included in the study. Improved awareness, practice and knowledge about oral health was observed in study group (n=34). The improvement was also seen in oral hygiene. Healthy gingiva (compared to red gingiva before the programme intervention) and bleeding on probing were absent post intervention. Conclusion From the results of the study we can conclude that visually appealing educational aids help children with hearing and speech impairment to understand and comprehend better, as it reflected in their oral hygiene scores. Top Keywords Prevention, Oral Cancer Risk Factors, Health Care Workers, Health Education. Top |