Comparison of Verbal, Braille, and Tactile Methods in Overcoming Anxiety Before Dental Procedures in Visually Impaired Children: To Overcome Anxiety Using Cognition and Hands (TOUCH).

BACKGROUND

Dental anxiety assessment for visually impaired children is important. Having a clear understanding of a child's anxiety can help tailor the best approach to care for their individual needs.

AIM

This study, To Overcome anxiety Using Cognition & Hands (TOUCH), aimed to assess the anxiety levels of visually impaired children before and after administration of the sealant procedure, after explaining the pit and fissure sealant procedure through three different methods: verbal, verbal with Braille, and verbal with tactile demonstration.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 30 children aged 7-9 years were included in this study from a school for visually impaired children. Children were divided into three equal groups: (i) Group A - Verbal (control group), (ii) Group B - Verbal-Braille, and (iii) Group C - Verbal-Tactile. Pre- and post-intervention anxiety levels were measured in each group using the Raghavendra, Madhuri, Sujata Tactile Scale (RMS-TS) and pulse rate monitoring.

RESULTS

All groups showed a decrease in anxiety, but a significant decrease in anxiety was found in the verbal-tactile group and verbal-braille group.

CONCLUSION

The study demonstrated that using a combination of verbal, braille, and tactile methods to explain the dental procedure effectively reduced anxiety in blind children.