Oral health status and treatment need of children with special health care needs: cross-sectional study

Aim: This study was conducted to assess and compare the oral health status and treatment need of hearing and speech impaired children and normal children. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted among 250 children with ages ranging from 6 to 13 years. Out of that 125 children’s had hearing and speech impairment and 125 children were normal with no disabilities. Data were collected using a standard method recommended by WHO for the oral health survey in 1977. Oral health status was assessed using OHI-S, Loe and Sinless Gingival index, Silness and Loe plaque index, DMFT and def Index for dental caries and dental malocclusion using Dental aesthetic index(DAI). Statistical analysis was performed with chisquare test and student’s unpaired t test using the SPSS software package (version 22.2). Results: The mean Plaque Index was found to be 0.85 for normal children and 1.53 for Deaf and Dumb Children. Mean Oral Hygiene Index was found to be 1.39 for normal children and 2.36 for Deaf and Dumb Children. Mean Gingival Index was found to be 0.85 for normal children and 1.52 for Deaf and Dumb Children. p-value for Dental Caries Index was found to be p=0.0004. Mean Dental Aesthetic Index score was found to be 22.92 for normal children and 28.24 for Deaf and Dumb Children. Conclusion: These findings suggest that children with hearing disabilities can also have good oral hygiene comparable to normal individuals of the same age group. These results may be attributed to the fact that the study sample was taken from a single school of a private organization with a well-equipped dental setup.