[ Most prevalent oral diseases in patients with visual impairment]

Abstract

Objective: To determine the most prevalent oral diseases in the visually impaired population. Methods: The search on oral diseases in the visually impaired was carried out in databases, web resources and the reference list of selected articles, including those in English and/or Spanish, published between 2000 and 2023 and all types of methodological studies of original articles. The information was synthesized using frequencies for country, year of study and type of research.

Results: 254 publications were found, of which 33 met the analysis criteria: 16 from India, three from Colombia, two from Iran, two from China, two from Kuwait and the remainder from different countries such as Yemen, Sudan, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Malaysia, Brazil and Mexico. Of the studies 72.73% (n = 24) evaluated prevalence of dental caries, another 33% (n = 11) dental trauma, 75.76% (n = 25) soft and hard bacterial plaque, 3.03% (n = 1) quality of life, 15.15% (n = 5) dental malocclusion, another 57.58% (n = 19) gingival and/or periodontal condition and 24.24% (n = 8) other lesions or clinical findings. The main pathology reported was periodontal disease and/or gingival involvement. Conclusion: The visually impaired are susceptible to early dental loss due to caries or periodontal disease, the proportions vary according to age group, however, women are generally the most affected.