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. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to compare the simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S) before and after a playful learning intervention in children with hearing impairment between 6 years and 11 years. STUDY DESIGN: Educational strategies were adopted for children with hearing impairment in Mexican Sign Language. The intervention consisted of three meetings explaining topics and activities of preventive content on health and oral hygiene for the children and their tutors. Simplified oral hygiene index was determinate before and after intervention. RESULTS: The mean of OHI-S score was 12% good status before the intervention and 64% after the application of the educational strategy. CONCLUSION: Teachers and dentists can enhance oral health promotion actions to children with hearing impairment in elementary institution using playful learning interventions. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Ávila-Curiel BX, Solórzano-Mata CJ, Avendaño-Martínez JA, et al. Playful Educational Intervention for Improvement of Oral Health in Children with Hearing Impairment. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2019;12(6):491–493.