Oral health status among visually impaired schoolchildren in Northeast China

Abstract

Background Visual impairment is an important disability affecting a substantial proportion of people globally. The aim of this study was to assess the oral health status of visually impaired schoolchildren in northeast China, and to investigate the influencing factors. Methods The study was performed in 2015, according to the criteria and methods used in the Third National Oral Health Epidemiological Survey in China. One hundred and three visually impaired schoolchildren from the only special school for the blind in northeast China were included in the study. Oral examinations were performed to assess the caries of deciduous and permanent teeth, periodontal disease, malocclusion. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted to investigate oral health-related behaviors, knowledge and attitude about oral care. Results The overall prevalence of caries was 78.64%, and mean number of caries was 2.43 ± 2.75. The prevalence of caries in deciduous and permanent teeth was 65.22 and 71.84%, respectively. The rates of gingival bleeding and dental calculus were 44.66 and 67.96%, respectively. Malocclusion was observed in 49.51% of the children with visual impairment. The prevalence of caries was significantly higher in girls than boys ( P < 0.05). The logistic regression analysis identified the knowledge level of parents and the toothache experience as risk factors for oral health, while the daily use of fluoride toothpaste could reduce the caries incidence. Conclusions This group of visually impaired schoolchildren exhibited a high prevalence of dental caries, poor periodontal health, and severe malocclusion. Oral health status is relatively poor among visually impaired schoolchildren in northeast China. Factors that significantly affected the prevalence of dental caries included education level of the mother, experience of toothache, and use of fluoride toothpaste.

Perception of oral health and medical conditions as possible predictors of oral health status in visually impaired adolescents: a cross‐sectional study

“…Our results showed that toothache had the greatest association with DMFT, which was in line with previous studies [ 9 , 42 ]. We found that most of the children had an irregular dental visit unless they had to have a dental appointment due to toothache.…”

“…Despite the fact that 93.1% of the visually impaired adolescents had good or fair oral hygiene status, a high prevalence of gingival bleeding was observed in this study, which is in line with previous studies [ 9 , 11 , 40 ]. In a national oral health survey conducted on the Iranian population in 2011–2012, gingival bleeding was observed among 26.9% of 12-year-old children and 33.8% of 15-year-old children [ 44 ].…”

“…High prevalence of dental caries [ 5 ], and frequent trauma to the anterior teeth were also reported for these children [ 7 , 8 , 12 ]. Different factors, such as lack of oral health knowledge [ 5 , 13 ], improper oral hygiene behavior [ 5 ], and irregular dental visits [ 5 , 7 , 9 ] may cause these problems.…”

Oral Hygiene and Periodontal Status of Visually Impaired Individuals of a Residential School in Eastern Nepal

“…6 The lack of hand eye-coordination, inadequate parental supervision and a lack of input from peers can reduce attention to oral health. 7 Therefore, this study attempted to assess the oral hygiene status and periodontal status of visually impaired individuals of the residential school "Gyanchakchu Vidyalaya" in Eastern Nepal.…”

New vision for improving oral hygiene status of visually impaired students aged from 9 to 17 years

“…Due to increased burdens and challenges faced the least importance was given to oral hygiene. [ 14 ] Jain et al . stressed the role of Dental health professionals in helping visually impaired.…”