Assessment of the oral health status in a visually impaired Maltese adult population

Abstract

The World Health Organisation states that globally, vision impairment and blindness has affected 2.2 billion people, of whom 1.1 billion have a vision impairment that could be prevented. Vision loss is found to impact oral health, because of the physical, social and educational barriers related to this impairment. Prevalence is found to be higher in an older population and few studies are found to address the link between oral health and older individuals living with blindness or a visual impairment. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the oral health status and oral hygiene practices in a visually impaired Maltese adult population, to evaluate if their visual impairment is affecting their oral care. Method: 26 Maltese adults over the age of 18 with a type of visual impairment, attending the Ophthalmic department at Mater Dei and a private organisation SPERO were recruited for the study. Dental explorer, mouth mirror and CPITN probe were used for the assessment. Participants were assessed through inclusion and exclusion criteria. Periodontal parameters included plaque index, calculus index, gingival bleeding index, periodontal probing depths and clinical attachment levels were gathered, as well as the self- perceived oral health status of the study participants. Results: The participants presented with 69.4% plaque scores and 55.4 ± 28.4 calculus scores, showing oral hygiene routine not to be effective enough. Caries rates was prevalent amongst the older population. However, the participants did present with some degree of dental knowledge as well as motivation which showed a positive outcome. Conclusion: It is recommended to carry out further studies on the oral health status of a Maltese visually impaired population, to be able to convey specific oral health programmes. Awareness through further literature and oral health education will help this population improve and maintain a healthy oral health status.