Assessment of Oral Health and Oral Health Behavior among Institutionalized Visually Impaired Children and Imparting Oral Health Education Using Modified Tactile Sensitization Typodont Model: A Cross-sectional Study

childhood blindness is 0.6 per thousand to 1.06 per thousand.4 Childhood blindness and VI has an adverse and often irreversible impact on the psychological, social, and educational performances of the child which can persist till adulthood.5 Vision plays a crucial role in performing daily activities and in learning various new skills.As a result, learning and performing meticulous tasks such as brushing is more difficult for IntroductIonOral health can have an influence on various essential aspects of our routine such as nutrition, communication, self-esteem, and overall quality of life.1,2 Despite the rapid advancements in oral healthcare, certain sections of the vulnerable population often experience barriers.One such demographic is that of visually impaired (VI) children.The prevalence of oral diseases is reported to be higher among these children when compared to sighted counterparts.A systematic review and meta-analysis conducted by Silva-Freire et al. revealed that VI children and adolescents exhibited significantly poorer oral health outcomes compared to their sighted counterparts.The findings indicated that VI individuals had a 3.74 times higher dental plaque index, a 3.53 times higher gingival index, and a 0.71 times higher (poorer) oral hygiene index.Additionally, the prevalence of dental caries, measured by the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (permanent dentition) (DMFT) score, was also notably higher among the VI group compared to sighted individuals.3 Visual impairment is an increasing concern particularly among the developing countries.It has been estimated that three of four VI individuals live in low-middle income countries.3 The overall prevalence of VI in India is reported to be in the range of 2.05 per thousand to 13.6 per thousand whereas the prevalence range of 1-