Dental caries experience and oral hygiene status among hearing and speech impaired children of Karad city, Maharashtra, India

Introduction: Disability has often been described as a physiological deficit. Children with hearing impairment constitute one of the major population groups of physically challenged children. In India, the people are suffering from one or the other kind of disability which is equivalent to 2.1% of the country's population. Aims and Objectives: This study aims to assess the caries experience and oral hygiene status among the hearing and speech impaired children's. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 100 participants aged 5-18 years attending a school for the sensory impaired children of Karad city, India. The participants were examined using Type III clinical examination. Oral hygiene status by oral hygiene index-simplified (OHI-S), Plaque index status and decayed, missing, and filled teeth/surface (DMFT/S) index were assessed. ANOVA, Chi-square test were used and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The largest component of DMFT/dmft was the decayed component, with a mean of 2.83 ± 0.94. P < 0.05 showing that this was statistically significant. The simplified calculus index and OHI-S index showed a significant difference between males and females of the study population (P < 0.05, S). Conclusion: There is an alarming situation for dental diseases among these hearing and speech impaired children. Hence, efforts should be made to encourage the parents and school teachers of these children to promote and improve their oral health.