title: A novel music based tooth brushing system for blind children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the Oral Health Status (OHS) of visually impaired children in South India, to devise and implement a specially designed Oral Health Education (OHE) program for them and to assess its efficacy in improving their OHS.
  
  
  METHODS
  OHS of 98 institutionalized visually impaired children aged 6 to 14 years were evaluated at the start of the study (Pre-OHE level) using the Modified Gingival Index (MGI), the Turesky-Gilmore-Glickman modification of the Quigley Hein Plaque Index (MQHPI) and Streptococcus mutans colony count. Oral Health Education was imparted with the help of specially designed models and tooth-brushing taught with specially formulated music aided instructions in a song format. These parameters were re-evaluated after a period of reinforced (two weeks and one month) and non-reinforced (two months) tooth-brushing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean values of MGI and MQHPI showed a statistically very highly significant drop from the Pre-OHE level to the end of both the periods of reinforcement and non-reinforcement. There was a significant decrease in the S. mutans counts from the Pre-OHE levels to the period of non-reinforcement (p < 0.0005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The OHE program specially formulated for the visually impaired children was effective in improving their OHS significantly
authors.affiliation: Department of Pedodontics and Preventive children dentistry, A.B Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences, India. docvabitha29@gmail.com
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Shetty
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Hegde
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Varghese
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Shetty
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D058491:Bacterial Load; D001766:Blindness; D002648:Child; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D004032:Diet; D019988:Children with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006267:Health Education, Dental / Q000379:methods*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009146:Music; D009909:Oral Health; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000193:education; D010512:Periodontal Index; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods; D013664:Teaching Materials; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000379:methods*; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities