Evaluation of Oral Hygiene in Patients with Visual Disabilities

Abstract

Introduction: Patients with visual impairment present greater difficulty in achieving adequate oral hygiene due to restricted eyesight. Therefore, oral hygiene motivation and instruction methods should be adapted to these patients to understand the importance of bacterial plaque control, both for the health of dental tissues and periodontal tissues
 Objective: The objective of the present study was to compare the plaque index (PI) of patients with and without visual impairment before and after the institution of oral hygiene instructions through a Randomized Clinical Trial. Twenty patients with visual impairment (Group 1) from the Instituto dos Cegos and 20 without visual impairment (Group 2) from the ASCES Periodontia Clinic were selected. Data were collected through the IP of O'Leary and reevaluated every 21 days for four sessions.
 Results: in both groups, the mean of PI decreased with the time of evaluation, with a significant difference between the evaluations (p <0.001). Group 1 had a mean PI higher than group 2 only in the fourth evaluation, but there was no significant difference (p> 0.05). As for the mean of the PI assessments, group 2 presented a mean higher than group 1, but without significant difference (p> 0.05).
 Conclusion: The study therefore suggests that there is no difference in PI in patients with or without visual impairment, and that the guidelines stimulate and motivate an improvement in oral hygiene conditions.