Evaluation of effect of auditory - aid in improving oral hygiene among visually impaired individuals - Original Study

Background: Oral health is an integral part of systemic health, which affects the quality of life of an individual. Physically disadvantaged individuals also start their life as normal children but, due to lack of awareness, poor motor skills, negligence of parents and care givers put them at high risk for oral diseases. So, the aim of the present study is toevaluate the effect of auditory aid in improving the oral hygiene among visually impaired children. Materials and Methods: Fifty one (51) Visually impaired individuals of age 8-25 years were included from Kala Bharathi residential school for the blind, Guntur. Oral hygiene index-simplified (OHI-S), gingival index (GI)were recorded at baselineand oral hygiene instructions were given by using Auditory-aid for 3 months. The OHI-S and GI were recorded again after 3 months to evaluate the effect of Auditory –aid. Results: At baseline, oral hygiene of the individuals was moderate to poor and mean OHI-S, GIat baseline were 2.45 and 1.75 respectively. There was improvement in the OHI-S and GI which were found to be 1.17 and 0.95 respectively after 3 months of intervention. Conclusion: Visual impairment is the most challenging situation to the individuals as the prevalence of systemic and oral diseases are more in these individuals when compared to normal individuals. However, if educated and motivated properly with the help of auditory aid these can be made to maintain good oral hygiene. Key Words: Auditory aid, Visual impairment, Oral hygiene