Plaque Removal Efficacy With Powered And Manual Toothbrushes In Visually Impaired Children Using Three Different Sensory Input Methods In Dental Health Education - A Comparative Evaluation
Keywords:
Audio, braille, audio tactile performed technique, manual toothbrush, powered toothbrush.Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The study is to provide dental health education to visually impaired children through various sensory input methods along with this compares the plaque removal efficacy of manual toothbrushes and powered toothbrushes before and after oral health education.
MATERIAL & METHOD: A total of 60 participants were divided into three groups. Audio(group I), Braille(group II), and ATP technique(group III), The groups were further subdivided into 10 each as IA, IB, IIA IIB, and IIIA IIIB depending upon the type of brush used i.e., manual and powered respectively. The plaque-removal efficacy was evaluated at the end of the 15 days using the Turesky–Gilmor–Glickman Modification of The Quigley–Hein plaque Index.
RESULTS: The paired t test revealed that the post plaque values showed that the plaque score is at least in the ATP, Audio, and Braille groups. An unpaired t-test revealed a significant reduction between the plaque index scores of the manual and powered groups in the second week (P-value, 0.05).
CONCLUSION: Audio, braille, and Audio-tactile performance are efficient when utilized alone, the better understanding of oral hygiene achieved through the ATP technique and using with a powered toothbrush would give immense results.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTITIONERS: The study provides vital background and asserts the importance of health education methods in visually impaired children. The role of powered toothbrushes in these children is also highlighted.
