Assessment of Oral Hygiene Status and Prevalence of Dental Caries and Traumatic Injuries to Anterior Teeth among Visually Impaired Children in Chennai City

AIM: To assess the oral hygiene status and prevalence of dental caries and trauma to anterior teeth among visually impaired children in Chennai city. Settings and design—a cross-sectional study was conducted in institutionalized blind schoolchildren. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 130 children from two blind schools were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Oral hygiene status was assessed using the oral hygiene index-simplified (OHI-S). Dental caries were assessed using decayed-missing-filled teeth (DMFT) and decayed, extracted due to carries, filled teeth (deft) index for permanent and primary dentition, respectively. Trauma to anterior teeth was assessed using Ellis and Davey classification. Statistical analysis used—all the data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software 20.0. RESULTS: The assessment of oral hygiene status showed that 54.6% of children had good oral hygiene, 45.4% had fair oral hygiene, and none had poor oral hygiene. The prevalence of dental caries in permanent and primary dentition was found to be 40 and 63.1%, respectively. The prevalence of trauma to anterior teeth was found to be 35.4%. CONCLUSION: Primary prevention approaches should be taught to parents and school teachers for early intervention of oral health problems. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Kannappan J, Srinivasan D, Chiriyankandath JL, et al. Assessment of Oral Hygiene Status and Prevalence of Dental Caries and Traumatic Injuries to Anterior Teeth among Visually Impaired Children in Chennai City. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2023;16(1):93-96.