Oral health and knowledge of sighted children and children with visual impairment and their parents’ role in it: A comparative study

Abstract

Aim: The present study aims to evaluate oral health knowledge and habits of children with visual impairment by comparison with their sighted counterparts and also evaluates parental knowledge and involvement in children’s oral hygiene routines. Methods: This observational and transversal study included the participation of 68 children (34 were visually impaired and 34 were sighted), from seven schools from Lisbon. The participants with visual impairment were age and gender-matched with their sighted counterparts to minimize variations in the analysis. In all, 52.9% of children were male, with average age of 11.15 (±3.413) years [6; 18]. The children and parents completed one survey each. Children were submitted to an oral examination to evaluate oral health. Results: Participants with visual impairment showed a non-significant increase in the decayed, missing, and filled teeth index (dmft), gingival, and oral hygiene indexes. Both groups’ gingival state was mostly classified as excellent, and oral hygiene was mainly classified as excellent/good. More children with visual impairment (85.7%) needed help with teeth brushing (p = .046) and were more likely to miss dentist check-ups more often (p = .025). Also, sighted children and their parents demonstrated more knowledge about oral health. Conclusion: Children with visual impairment and their parents showed less favorable results, justifying the need to promote oral health education to this demographic.