Extent of Awareness Regarding Oral Health and Dental Treatment Needs among Individuals with Hearing and Speech Impairments in Saudi Arabia

Assessing oral health knowledge among public school children in Saudi Arabian subpopulation

INTRODUCTION

Oral hygiene is paramount for maintaining optimal oral and physical health, especially among children who are particularly susceptible to dental caries and issues due to dietary habits and inadequate hygiene practices. This study aimed to evaluate the awareness and knowledge of oral health among public school children, analyse their oral hygiene habits, educate parents on the importance of oral health for their children, and implement an oral hygiene educational program in Al-Kharj City, Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

Four public elementary schools were selected for the study, with a sample size of 200 school-going children participating. A structured questionnaire was used to assess awareness and knowledge of oral health among the participants. SPSS software version 26 was used for data analysis. Multiple regression analysis and correlation tests was employed to explore the relationships between the different variables measured in the study.

RESULTS

The findings revealed a significant lack of awareness regarding oral health among school children. Oral hygiene habits were found to be inadequate in many participants. Overall, the findings highlight the need for targeted interventions aimed at promoting regular dental visits, addressing dental fear, and fostering positive oral hygiene practices among school-going children to improve oral health outcomes in the studied population.

CONCLUSION

The study highlighted a critical gap in oral health awareness among school children, underscoring the need for targeted interventions. While the oral hygiene educational program has been implemented and future data will shed light on its effectiveness, preliminary observations suggest that such programs could potentially improve oral health outcomes and overall engagement among students.

Assessment of oral health status and quality of life in hearing-impaired children from Syria

AIM

This study aimed to evaluate the oral health status of children with hearing impairments and assess the relationship between various oral health factors and the Pediatric Oral Health-Related Quality of Life.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This observational cohort study involved 90 hearing-impaired children aged 6-12 years. Diagnostic tools such as pure-tone audiometry were used to evaluate their hearing abilities. Dental health was assessed by calculating DMFT, dmft, Plaque and Gingival indices. The oral health-related quality of life was measured using the POHRQoL.

RESULTS

The severity of hearing impairment varied with 3% having severe hearing loss, 13% having profound hearing loss, and 83% having complete hearing loss. A high prevalence of dental cavities with 93% of children affected was found. DMFT score was similar between males and females (2.5 ± 0.3 vs. 2.3 ± 0.3 respectively). Males exhibited a higher mean dmft score (4.1 ± 0.5 vs. 3.3 ± 0.5), and a higher mean Plaque Index (1.9 ± 0.1 vs. 1.5 ± 0.1). On the other hand, females showed a higher mean Gingival Index (0.9 ± 0.1 vs. 1.1 ± 0.2). Results indicated a decreased OHRQoL with a mean POQL score of 6.4 ± 2.89. Spearman's test revealed a significant positive correlation between POQL total score and DMFT scores (P = 0.000), dmft scores (P = 0.000), Plaque Index scores (P = 0.000), and Gingival Index scores (P = 0.038). There was a weak positive correlation between hearing impairment severity and POQL total score, it was not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

Children who have hearing impairments exhibit poor oral health, and levels of dental caries, which can negatively impact their overall POHRQoL. Therefore, it is highly recommended to start specialized oral health education and comprehensive dental care programs to improve their OHRQoL.

Enhancing Oral Hygiene in Children With Hearing Impairment: The Impact of Skit Video Interventions -A Randomized Controlled Trial

Aim. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of 3 interventions-skit video, pictorial, and sign language-in improving the oral hygiene of children with hearing impairment. Materials and Methods. Sixty children randomly divided into 3 groups: Skit video, Pictorial, and Sign language. The mean gingival and Oral Hygiene Index scores were recorded before and after interventions. A 1-way ANOVA was used for statistically significant difference between pre and post intervention scores. Results. A significant difference in mean oral hygiene and gingival index scores before and after interventions was found in Group A (P < .005). A statistically significant difference was also found between group A and B in inter group comparison of OHI and GI scores post intervention (P < .004). Conclusion. Skit video and pictorial intervention effectively improves oral health resulting in reduced mean oral hygiene and gingival scores.

Oral Health Status, Oral Health Behaviors, and Oral Health Care Utilization among Persons with Disabilities in Saudi Arabia

Various studies have indicated that persons with special needs may face several barriers to dental treatment, which increases the prevalence of oral diseases in this population. Moreover, these studies suggested that Saudis with special needs have a higher prevalence of oral diseases, such as dental caries and periodontal disease. The aim of this review is to synthesize evidence regarding the current status, trends in oral health behaviors, and oral health care utilization among these individuals, as well as to assess the quality of the literature. Furthermore, this review seeks to recommend directions for future research and oral health care policymaking. An electronic search was conducted using the following databases and registers: PubMed/Medline, Embase, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, ClinicalTrials.gov, and CENTRAL. Gray literature, which included conference proceedings and unpublished literature, was searched via the library services and Google/Google Scholar, and the quality of studies was assessed using the AXIS scale for cross-sectional studies. A total of 38 studies were included in this review, with the majority of the studies graded as 'low'. Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that individuals with special needs have limited access to oral health care, poor oral health status, and a general lack of awareness in regard to oral health. Therefore, nationwide surveys should be carried out to ascertain the actual extent of the oral inequities among individuals with special needs.

Impact of Oral Health Educational Interventions on Oral Hygiene Status of Children with Hearing Loss: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Introduction

Oral health is considered as one of the essential components of the overall health of every individual. Maintaining oral health is a gradual process that requires commitment. Children who require special care such as hearing impairment experience difficulty in maintaining oral health primarily due to communication difficulties. This study is aimed at using different interventions to evaluate the improvement of oral hygiene in hearing impaired children.

Materials and Methods

Fifty-nine children were recruited in this study that were allocated randomly into each group with twenty children as follows: group 1: pictorial, group 2: video, and group 3: control. Mean plaque and gingival scores were noted before and after the use of different interventions. Oral hygiene was categorized as “excellent,” “good,” and “fair.” Gingival health was categorized as “healthy,” “mild gingivitis,” and “moderate gingivitis.”

Results

Thirty-four children (57.6%) were from 12-13 years of age bracket, and 25 (42.4%) belonged to 14-16 years of age. Regarding gender, there were 37 (62.7%) males and 22 (37.3%) females. About comparison of mean gingival and plaque scores before and after interventions in each group, a significant difference was found in group 1 (p < 0.001) and group 2 (p < 0.001), as compared to group 3 where the difference in scores was not significant (p > 0.05).

Conclusion

Maintaining oral health requires the compliance of individuals to perform different methods of preventive dentistry, such as tooth brushing and use of dental floss. The use of different oral hygiene educational interventions such as pictorial and video methods have been proven and useful for hearing impaired children in improving oral health.

Are dental care providers in Saudi Arabia prepared to treat patients with special needs?

Background: Equity in services accessibility is one of the major components of good quality healthcare. However, patients with special needs have limited access to dental care services, which could be due to the lack of training and experience of the dental care providers that might effect on their preparedness and willingness when it comes to caring for the patients with special needs.

Objectives: The main objective of this study is to determine the factors influencing the preparedness and willingness of dental care providers at different Saudi Arabian universities to provide treatment to patients with special needs.

Methods: A Cross-sectional study design targeting all dental care providers such as interns, residents, specialists, consultants, dental nurses and students from universities around Saudi Arabia. Two scales were adapted to determine the dental care providers’ perceived preparedness and willingness to treat patients with special needs.

Results: A total of 243 participants from dental colleges around Saudi universities were included in the study. Males appeared to be more prepared and willing to treat patients with special needs compared to females. Dental care providers from King Saud University perceived more preparedness compared to other universities in the study. While graduates from King Abdulaziz University exhibit more preparedness to treat patients with special needs compared to graduates from other universities in the study. Also, dental care providers who have treated a patient with special needs perceived more preparedness to treat them again.

Conclusion: When a dental care provider have treated a patient with special needs or just dealt with them in a daily life, this experience procured high preparedness score, however, did not influence on their willingness score in the treatment of these individuals. Good dental education programs are important to provide equity of dental care services to all parts of the community equally.

Playful Educational Intervention for Improvement of Oral Health in Children with Hearing Impairment

Dental care to vulnerable population is a pending issue in health policies due to the lack of appropriate and specialized strategies. Children with sensory deficits represent a challenge to professionals in prevention of oral diseases fundamentally due to communication problems.