Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Unleashing the most effective oral health education intervention technique for improving the oral hygiene status and oral health knowledge in visually impaired young individuals: A systematic review and meta‑analysis

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

. Apurva P Deshpande
. Anil V Ankola
. Roopali Sankeshwari
. Sagar Jalihal
. Deepika V Bhat
. Abhra Roy Choudhury
. Ram Surath Kumar
. Atrey Pai Khot
Abstract
Appropriate oral health education (OHE) plays a vital role in prevention of oral diseases and would bridge
the gap between dentists and visually impaired individuals. Hence, this systematic review was planned
with an aim to evaluate effectiveness of various OHE techniques on the oral hygiene status and oral
health knowledge of visually impaired young individuals. An electronic search extended to September
30, 2020 was conducted on PubMed, Wiley, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, Cochrane library, EBSCO, and
Google Scholar. Two independent reviewers assessed the studies using a two‑stage process; data were
extracted according to PRISMA statement. Risk of bias assessment of selected studies was executed
according to the study designs. Meta‑analysis using the random‑effects model was conducted for the
outcomes for all oral health education techniques using STATASE 16.1 software. Hand and electronic
search identified 3829 articles. After screening for titles and duplicates, 37 articles were retrieved, which
were screened through abstract and full text. Of the 37 articles, 17 articles were included for qualitative
synthesis, and out of that, 13 were for meta‑analysis. Ten variations in oral health education (OHE)
techniques were used in the included 17 studies to impart oral health education to visually impaired
young individuals. Overall, all OHE techniques demonstrated a positive impact on oral hygiene status.
The pooled overall cumulative mean difference of the oral hygiene status after imparting education in
ATP, Audio, and Braille was 1.33 [1.06, 1.59], 1.76 [1.11, 2.42], and 1.96 [1.40, 2.55], respectively.
An appropriate OHE technique boosts confidence in visually impaired young individuals, making the
learning process an enjoyable experience. Use of either Braille or the ATP OHE technique was found
to be a reliable and useful method to improve oral hygiene of visually impaired young individuals.

Keywords

Audio
audio tactile performance
Braille
oral health education
oral hygiene status
visually impaired
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Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume 13, Issue 1
Winter 2023
Pages 1-17

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