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VOLUME 11 , ISSUE 6 ( November-December, 2020 ) > List of Articles

ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Impact of Verbal and Braille Text Oral Hygiene Instructions on Visually Impaired Individuals: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Hytham N Fageeh, Manawar A Mansour, Hussam M Muyidi, Abu Bakr Ahmed, Sameer J Ogayshi, Reghunathan S Preethanath

Keywords : Braille text, Health promotion, Oral hygiene, Visually impaired

Citation Information : Fageeh HN, Mansour MA, Muyidi HM, Ahmed AB, Ogayshi SJ, Preethanath RS. Impact of Verbal and Braille Text Oral Hygiene Instructions on Visually Impaired Individuals: A Randomized Clinical Trial. World J Dent 2020; 11 (6):439-445.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10015-1775

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 03-04-2021

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2020; The Author(s).


Abstract

Aim: To assess the oral hygiene knowledge and compare the effect of verbal oral hygiene instructions with that of textual Braille instructions on the periodontal health status of Arabic-speaking visually impaired individuals. Materials and methods: Sixty individuals (age, 8–57 years) with visual impairment were randomly recruited and divided into two intervention groups (n = 30 each) based on the mode of oral hygiene instructions: verbal and Braille. A questionnaire with 15 close-ended questions was used to assess knowledge, attitude, and practices related to oral health. The periodontal status (using oral hygiene, gingival, and plaque scores) was examined, and oral prophylaxis was performed. After 3 months, reassessments were conducted to evaluate the oral hygiene and overall knowledge in each group. Results: Baseline responses showed low knowledge and poor attitudes toward self-care of oral health among the subjects in both groups. After 3 months of follow-up, the mean overall knowledge of the remaining 53 participants was significantly (p < 0.05) increased from (3.97 ± 1.33 and 4.21 ± 1.4) to (5.77 ± 2.79 and 11.62 ± 2.5) in the verbal and Braille textual instructions groups, respectively. Significant reductions in oral hygiene, gingival, and plaque scores from baseline were observed in both groups (p < 0.01). After 12 weeks, the plaque, calculus, and oral hygiene indices were significantly lower in the Braille group (n = 27) when compared with those in the verbal group (n = 26; p < 0.01). There were three dropouts in the Braille group and four dropouts in the verbal group. Conclusion: This trial demonstrated the effectiveness of using a textual Braille to improve both the knowledge and clinical periodontal indices in visually impaired individuals when compared with that of a verbal intervention alone. Clinical significance: The study revealed that Braille textural communication can be used as an effective tool to implement oral hygiene instructions in visually impaired individuals.


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