Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37805471›Full record

ArticleBMC oral health2023

Oral health status and hygiene practices among visually impaired adolescents from a school in Kenya.

Maureen Macharia, Mary Masiga, Nathan Psiwa, Janella Bermudez, Ana Lucia Seminario, Arthur Musakulu Kemoli

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC oral health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.7field-weighted citation impact, top 16% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Oral health status and factors influencing oral health outcomes in visually impaired children: a cross-sectional study.European archives of paediatric dentistry : official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Maureen MachariaDepartment of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, School of Dental Sciences, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya. mmaureen.mw@gmail.com.
Mary MasigaDepartment of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, School of Dental Sciences, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
Nathan PsiwaDepartment of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, School of Dental Sciences, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
Janella BermudezAdvanced Education in General Dentistry Program, Yakima, Washington, USA.
Ana Lucia SeminarioSchool of Dentistry, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
Arthur Musakulu KemoliDepartment of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, School of Dental Sciences, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
University of Nairobi · KEEducational Service District 105 · USSeattle University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundVisual impairment affects a significant population globally. The aim of this study was to determine the oral health status and oral hygiene practices among visually impaired adolescents from a school in Kenya.

methodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 159 adolescents aged 10-19 years attending the largest public primary boarding school for the blind in Kenya. A questionnaire was used to record participants' socio-demographic variables and oral hygiene practices. Clinical examination was undertaken to assess oral health status which consisted of oral hygiene, gingival health, and dental caries. Bivariate analyses were conducted to compare dental health outcomes across socio-demographic characteristics.

resultsThere were 69 (43.4%) and 90 (56.6%) participants in Category I and II visual impairment respectively, 85 (53.5%) were male and 74 (46.5%) were female. Study participants were divided into three age categories: 10-12 years 48 (30.2%), 13-15 years 67 (42.1%), and 16- 19 years 44 (27.7%), with an overall mean age of 13.9 ± 2.3. All participants brushed their teeth, majority 107 (67.3%) brushed two or more times daily. Only 66 (41.5%) of the participants replaced their toothbrushes at 3 months. Sex (p =< 0.001) and age (p = 0.04) influenced frequency of toothbrush replacement. The average plaque score and gingival score index was 0.95 ± 0.45 and 0.28 ± 0.25 respectively, with gingivitis prevalence of 88.1%. Overall dental caries prevalence was 44.7%, [42.1%)] permanent dentition and [8.2%] deciduous dentition. Mean DMFT and dmft were 0.44 ± 0.60 and 0.12 ± 0.32 respectively. DMFT had a statistically significant association with sex (t = 1.82, p = 0.03). Oral hygiene practices did not influence oral hygiene and dental caries status. However, a statistically significant association was reported between frequency of toothbrush replacement and gingival score index ("p" =< 0.001).

conclusionsThe study reported general good oral hygiene, prevalent gingivitis 140 (88.1%), and almost half of the study population affected by dental caries 71 (44.7%). Most participants were unaware of using fluoridated toothpaste and of needing to change toothbrushes within 3 months. Frequency of toothbrush replacement was reported to influence gingival score index.

Indexed as

Dental CariesGingivitisAdolescentBlindnessChildCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansKenyaMaleOral HealthOral HygienePrevalenceSchoolsAdolescentsKenyaOral health statusOral hygiene practicesVisual impairment

Identifiers

PMID37805471
PMCPMC10559637
OpenAlexW4387428537

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.