Effect of Auditory Aid in Improving Oral Hygiene among Visually Impaired Children in Chandigarh City, India - A Longitudinal Study

Objective: To assess the effect of auditory aid in improvement of oral hygiene among visually impaired children in Chandigarh city. Materials and Methods: Fifty totally blind caries free children were selected and were given oral hygiene instructions for a period of one month daily. The Oral hygiene index OHI(S) and gingival index GI was recorded on a structured format at baseline and three months follow-up. Results: The oral hygiene and gingival status of the children were found to be relatively moderate to poor. The percentage use of toothbrush among the children was also found to be less (52%) at baseline. At three months follow up there was a considerable improvement in brushing as well as the oral hygiene (53.1%) and gingival status (56%). Conclusion: A large group of such children are neglected for their dental health. Hence, regular dental checkups should be made mandatory to such special care need children so that dental problems can be diagnosed at initial stage and can be well treated on time. Corresponding author: Mohit Bansal, Senior Resident, Oral Health Sciences Center, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India; Tel: 09855701797; e-mail: [email protected] Age group Male Female Total 8-12 years 11 (35.4%) 6 (31.5%) 17 (34%) 13-17 years 8 (25.8%) 11 (57.8%) 19(38%) 18-23 years 12 (38.7%) 2 (10.5%) 14 (28%) Total 31 (100%) 19 (100%) 50 (100%) Table 1. Distribution of study subjects according to gender and age groups.