Assessing effectiveness of braille and audio-tactile performance technique in improving oral hygiene status of young adults with visual impairment.

INTRODUCTION

Young adults with Visual impairment (VI) challenge the dentists' skills and knowledge due to a higher risk of developing oral diseases due to difficulty in attaining good oral hygiene (OH).

AIMS

To assess the effectiveness of ATP (Audio-Tactile Performance) technique and braille versus braille alone in improving OH status of young adults with VI.

METHODS AND MATERIAL

A parallel arm, randomized controlled trial was conducted among 70 young adults with VI. Participants were randomly allocated to either test group (braille combined with ATP) or control group (braille alone). A pre-validated braille questionnaire was used to obtain the baseline data followed by clinical examination. OH status assessment was recorded through Gingival Index (GI) and Plaque Index (PI) proforma followed by a thorough ultrasonic oral prophylaxis. Periodic reinforcement was carried out on the 7th day, after 1 month and 3 months. The outcomes were assessed at the end of 3rd and 6th month.

RESULTS

There was an increase in the knowledge scores after 3 and 6 months and attitude scores, GI scores and PI scores after 6 months in the test group compared to the control group and this difference was found to be statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study showed that a combination of ATP and braille proved to be more effective than braille alone in improving the knowledge and OH status of young adults with VI.