title: Relationship between periodontal status and degree of visual impairment in institutionalized individuals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Periodontal disease is a set of inflammatory infections that affect the supporting structures of the dentition. Patients with visual impairment (VI) may have more difficulty in cleaning and maintaining oral health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible relationship between periodontal status and degree of VI in institutionalized individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-two visually impaired individuals were included in this cross-sectional study. The periodontal parameters assessed were clinical attachment level (CAL), probing depth (PD), and visible plaque index. The degree of VI was established as: Group 1 (mild or moderate VI), Group 2 (severe or profound VI), and Group 3 (completely blind); and the types of VI were considered as congenital and acquired. Fisher's exact, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney, and Spearman correlation coefficient test were used. The level of significance was set at 5%.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only plaque index was higher on proximal surfaces of subjects with mild/moderate VI when compared to the other degrees of VI (P = 0.01). Furthermore, we observed higher values for interproximal CAL (P = 0.01), total PD (P = 0.04), and interproximal PD in subjects with acquired VI when compared to subjects with congenital VI (P = 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that periodontal status may be more related to the type of disability than with the degree of VI. Acquired VI people presented a worse periodontal health than the group with congenital VI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Maranhão, Maranhão, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luana Dias
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: da Cunha
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Maranhão, Maranhão, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mariana Almeida Melo
authors.initials: MAM
authors.lastname: Proença
authors.affiliation: Department of Morphology, Federal University of Maranhão, Maranhão, Brazil.
authors.forename: Vandilson Pinheiro
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Maranhão, Maranhão, Brazil.
authors.forename: Adriana Fátima Vasconcelos
authors.initials: AFV
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Maranhão, Maranhão, Brazil.
authors.forename: Bruno Braga
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Benatti
keywords: Blindness; oral hygiene; periodontal diseases; visually impaired persons