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Improvement of Oral Health Status in a Group of Students with Visual Impairment in Istanbul

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the oral health status of a group of students with vision impairment and to compare the changes of oral hygiene after oral health education. Materials and Methods: Dental examination of 6-19-year-old of 136 students with vision impairment in a Primary School for Individuals with Vision Impairment in Istanbul was performed. The students were divided into 6-9-year-age group (Group I) and 10-19-year-age group (Group II) and in the first visit, they were examined and their findings were recorded according to DMFT (Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth), DMFS (Decayed, Missing, and Filled Surfaces) indices of permanent teeth, dft and dfs indices of primary teeth and in the first visit and 3rd follow up period, their Dental Plaque (PI), Calculus (CI) and Oral Hygiene (OHI) Indexes were recorded. They received one-to-one oral health education (OHE). Statistical evaluation was carried out with Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney U tests and p<0.05 was found as statistically significant. Results: Regarding the pre and post OHE results of periodontal indexes, PI and OHI scores statistically significantly increased after OHE in Group I (p<0.05). On the other hand, CI results significantly decreased after OHE in Group II (p=0.042). Comparing post OHE results of PI and OHI, Group I showed statistically significantly higher scores than Group II (p<0.05). Comparing the difference values of PI and OHI between pre and post OHE, Group I showed statistically significantly lower scores than Group II (p<0.05). Conclusions: Students with vision impairment have a high prevalence of dental caries and poor oral hygiene. We emphasise the importance of providing proper dental education and regular dental visits to them.