Abstract
BackgroundThe impact of visual impairment on oral health in the literature is inconclusive, and the available information on the medical and dental health status of visually impaired children is limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the dental and medical health status, and to assess the oral health knowledge of visually impaired girls aged 6–12 years, and compare them to that of sighted children.MethodsThis analytical cross-sectional study was carried out on 79 visually impaired and 83 age-matched sighted female primary school children. The children’s demographic data, medical history, and dental history were obtained through a validated questionnaire. The study population was examined to evaluate their dental caries status using the Decayed Missing Filled Teeth/Surface indices DMFT/DMFS/ and dmft/dmfs for permanent and primary teeth, respectively. Oral hygiene index (OHI), Plaque index (PI) and gingival index (GI) were obtained for periodontal evaluation. Pearson’s Chi-square test and t-test were used for the statistical analyses.ResultsThe general health for both groups was found to be good; however, 21.5% of the visually impaired children had systemic diseases compared with only 4.8% of the sighted children (P = 0.002). Statistically significant differences (P < 0.001) were found between the two groups with regards to OHI. Among the sighted children, 49.4% had good oral hygiene compared with only 22.8% of the visually impaired group. The plaque accumulation was found to be greater among the visually impaired group and gingivitis was also higher. The DMFS score was found to be higher (P = 0.03) among the visually impaired group.ConclusionsThe visually impaired children had more medical conditions and poorer oral health status compared to their sighted peers.
Highlights
The impact of visual impairment on oral health in the literature is inconclusive, and the available information on the medical and dental health status of visually impaired children is limited
Statistically significant differences (P = 0.039) were found with regard to DMFS score between the two groups, with a higher mean DMFS score (5.16 ± 8.1) among the visually impaired children compared with the sighted group (3.10 ± 3.7)
*P-value for Pearson’s Chi-square test difference (P = 0.001) was found between the two groups, as 11.4% of the visually impaired children displayed negative behavior compared with 0% of the sighted group. This comparative study provided information on the medical and dental health status, and the oral health knowledge of visually impaired and sighted female children aged 6–12 years living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Summary
The impact of visual impairment on oral health in the literature is inconclusive, and the available information on the medical and dental health status of visually impaired children is limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the dental and medical health status, and to assess the oral health knowledge of visually impaired girls aged 6–12 years, and compare them to that of sighted children. Oral health contributes to self-confidence and general systemic health [1]. People acquire their oral care habits as they grow up and carry them on into adolescence. AlSadhan et al BMC Oral Health (2017) 17:154 study found that visually impaired subjects demonstrated better oral hygiene practices than sighted ones [8]. As for dental knowledge, it was found that students with visual impairments were less knowledgeable about their oral care [9]
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