Smiles Unseen: Assessment of Oral Health Status, Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice among Visually Impaired Adolescents in Tamil Nadu

IntroductIonThe oral cavity is seen by many as a "gateway" or "reflection" of overall health.Any shift from a healthy state to a diseased state will affect their social interactions and mental well-being.In our society, people with special needs are viewed as disadvantaged. 1 A significant subgroup of people with special needs is the visually impaired (VI).VI includes people who are completely blind and people with low vision.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 285 million people worldwide are VI, including 40 million who are blind and 246 million with low vision. 2 Oral health is significantly impacted by visual impairment, which increases the chance of developing several oral diseases. 2 Children with visual impairments encounter numerous obstacles in their daily activities, which makes them significantly reliant on their caregivers.A particularly challenging task for them is managing their oral hygiene. 3 The lack of cognitive growth, insufficient hand-eye coordination, inadequate parental oversight, minimal peer interaction, and limited awareness regarding oral hygiene can lead to decreased focus on oral health. [4]5][6] Numerous obstacles exist in offering dental care to individuals with visual impairments.The perceptions held by patients, caregivers, and providers remain the primary challenge. 7 Visual impairments can