Prevalence of Traumatic Dental Injuries among Visually, Speech and Hearing-Impaired Children Attending the Special Schools of Nizamabadh City, Telanganastate, India.

Background: Studies on dental trauma of the non-disabled population have been carried out in the past, but limited data are available on dental trauma of the visually, hearing and speech impaired children, especially in Nizamabadh, Telangana State, India. Objective: To determine the prevalence of traumatic injuries (TDI) among visual, speech and hearing-impaired children in Nizamabadh, Telangana State. Materials and methods: An epidemiological study in the form of a school dental check-up was carried out among 134 children aged 6 to 15, of whom sixty (60) and seventy-four (74) were visually and speech/hearing impaired, respectively. The survey was carried out with the use of the WHO classification for traumatic dental injuries. All the subjects were divided into 2 groups. Data were analysed using Fisher’s Exact test, and the level of significance was set at p<0.05. Results: The results showed that 17.91% of the study population had one form of traumatic injury or another to their anterior teeth. Among the visually impaired group, 23% had TDI, while those with speech and hearing impairment had 5.4% TDI. There was a statistically significant association between visual impairment and TDI (p-value = 0.0011), and the odds of experiencing dental trauma are approximately 5 times higher in visually impaired children compared to children with speech and hearing impairments. Conclusion: There is a moderate prevalence of TDI. While a higher moderate prevalence of TDI was seen among the visually impaired, a low prevalence was seen among the speech and hearing-impaired children. Children living with disabilities are at risk of multiple TDIs; thus, the need for awareness creation, health education and periodic screening cannot be overemphasized.