Estrategia educativa en salud bucal para niños y niñas con diversidad funcional a nivel auditivo

Abstract

Introduction: hearing impairment refers to the decrease in the ability to hear due to a problem in the auditory apparatus. The difficulties for the communication between patient-odontologist and the lack of opportune odontological attention cause a greater risk for the appearance of the oral diseases in this population.Objective: to evaluate the result of the implementation of an educational strategy in oral health in children with functional diversity at the auditory level. Materials and Methods: intervention study applied in 41 school children with hearing impairment between 6 and 18 years, information was obtained from surveys of parents and oral clinical examinations of school children. A series of oral health education strategies were developed for the participants and their caregivers. Results: 79.49% of the parents considered that the condition of functional diversity influenced the oral hygiene of their children. 20% of parents report that in their health institution they denied the provision of services to participants due to their condition. There was a statistically significant difference in the decrease of bacterial plaque between the first and the second clinical examination of the participants. Conclusion: an oral health education strategy with a differential focus and establishing adequate communication in children with special needs shows a positive result in the improvement of oral hygiene.