[Efficacy of an oral health training programme for visually impaired individuals]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an oral health training programme for visually impaired individuals and their families or caretakers. The training programme was based on reliance on the other senses. The study was performed at an institute for the blind in Palermo (Italy). Oral hygiene and health status of 30 visually impaired subjects aged 15-60 years were evaluated by interview and use of the Decayed Missing Filled (DMF) and Simplified Oral Hygiene by Green-Vermillion (OHI-S) indices. Subjects underwent an oral health training programme at the end of which their oral hygiene and health status was once again evaluated. Participants were found to have poor oral hygiene at the beginning of the study. Subsequent evaluations to measure improvements after the training programme revealed no changes in oral health status. These results underscore the enormous difficulties encountered by staff and families in applying preventive oral health programmes.