How to improve communication with deaf children in the dental clinic.
It may be difficult for hearing-impaired people to communicate with people who hear. In the health care area, there is often little awareness of the communication barriers faced by the deaf and, in dentistry, the attitude adopted towards the deaf is not always correct. A review is given of the basic rules and advice given for communicating with the hearing-impaired. The latter are classified in three groups - lip-readers, sign language users and those with hearing aids. The advice given varies for the different groups although the different methods of communication are often combined (e.g. sign language plus lip-reading, hearing-aids plus lip-reading). Treatment of hearing-impaired children in the dental clinic must be personalised. Each child is different, depending on the education received, the communication skills possessed, family factors (degree of parental protection, etc.), the existence of associated problems (learning difficulties), degree of loss of hearing, age, etc.
Experta en Atención Clínica Odontológica al Niño Discapacitado, Madrid, Spain. silviasba@hotmail.com
Silvia San Bernardino
SS
Alsmark
Joaquín
J
García
María Rosa Mourelle
MR
Martínez
Nuria Esther Gallardo
NE
López
D002648:Child; D003144:Communication Barriers; D019140:Dental Care for Children / Q000592:standards; D003740:Dental Clinics; D006801:Humans; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities