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

Abstract

IntroductionYoung 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).AimsTo 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 materialA 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.ResultsThere 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.ConclusionsThe 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.