Oral hygiene status in relation to sociodemographic factors of children and adults who are hearing impaired, attending a special school

Abstract

This study examined the oral hygiene levels and periodontal status in a group of children and adults with hearing impairment attending a special school in Udaipur, India. Oral hygiene status was assessed by the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S) of Greene and Vermillion and periodontal status by the Community Periodontal Index. An analysis using a bivariate analysis revealed that all the oral hygiene variables varied significantly with age, economic status, and education of the parents. A multiple regression analysis showed that the education of the mother was the single best predictor for oral hygiene status and explained 92% of the variance. These findings show that children with hearing impairment have poor oral hygiene and high levels of periodontal disease. This may be due to a lack of communication; hence, appropriate oral health education should be tailored to the needs of these students with the support of their teachers and their parents.