title: Oral characteristics of children with visual or auditory impairments.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purposes of this study were to: (1) describe the demographics and oral characteristics of deaf or blind children and adolescents receiving dental treatment at an institution for the deaf and blind (DBC); (2) compare this information to children and adolescents with no systemic disease or impairments attending a dental university clinic (UC); and (3) compare the oral characteristics between visually or auditorily impaired children and adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  The demographics and oral characteristics of 120 DBC patients and 119 UC patients and between 35 visually impaired and 85 auditorily impaired were compared using analysis of variance, chi-square, Fisher's exact, and multiple regression analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  When controlling for age, there was no statistically significant difference between the UC and the DBC patients regarding caries prevalence. A significantly higher proportion of DBC children had gingival inflammation. Visually impaired patients had a statistically higher level of dependence on caretakers and higher gingivitis and plaque scores than the auditorily impaired.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Under oral health supervision, children and adolescents with or without hearing or visual impairment develop similar dental caries prevalence. Oral hygiene and resulting gingival inflammation are a challenge for the visually impaired and, to a lesser degree, the auditorily impaired.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Dentistry, College of Dentistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky. USA. ebi223@uky.edu.
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bimstein
authors.affiliation: Post-doctoral Pediatric Dentistry Program, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla. USA.
authors.forename: Roy G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Jerrell
authors.affiliation: Post-doctoral Pediatric Dentistry Program, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla. USA.
authors.forename: James P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Weaver
authors.affiliation: Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, St. Augustine, Fla. USA.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dailey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004245:DMF Index; D019140:Dental Care for Children / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000453:epidemiology; D003774:Dental Plaque Index; D003818:Dentition, Mixed; D019229:Dentition, Permanent; D019988:Children with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology; D005891:Gingivitis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D062072:Patient Acuity; D010512:Periodontal Index; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult