The impact of school-based social media and online technology on oral health education for individuals with disability.

ABSTRACT

AIM: To evaluate the impact of school-based online communication methods on the oral health-related behavirs of individuals with disability. METHOD: A prospective interventional study was conducted on 154 students (age 3-22 years) with various disabilities attending educational centers. A clinical examination was carried out before and after a school-based online educational program. Online in-person sessions were held for the participants, and educational videos were shared with parents and teachers over social media. The clinical examination included the Special Olympics HAS form, (1) Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (OHI-S) (2) and the Modified Frankl Behavior Index. (3) Dietary and oral hygiene habits were collected via parent-administered questionnaires. RESULTS: Improvements in behavior in a dental setting (p < .001), oral hygiene levels (p < .001) and dietary choices (p < .001) were observed throughout the study. CONCLUSION: Oral health education online modalities can be used effectively by dental professionals to educate individuals with disabilities and their carers regularly, thus helping improve oral health and rapport with dental professionals.