Breaking the Silence: An AI-Driven Sign Language Mobile Intervention to Transform Oral Health in Deaf Children.

Background:

Globally, more than 34 million children experience disabling hearing loss, and those with visual impairments often encounter significant obstacles to health-related educational resources.Children with hearing and visual impairments frequently encounter barriers to accessing oral health education due to communication challenges and limitations in conventional teaching methods. These barriers contribute to inadequate oral hygiene awareness, poor oral health practices, and a higher burden of untreated dental disease. Advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) offer new opportunities to develop accessible, personalized, and inclusive health education interventions for children with special needs.

Aim:

To develop and evaluate an AI-assisted, Indian Sign Language (ISL)-based multimedia oral health education program designed to improve oral health knowledge, practices, and clinical outcomes among children with hearing and visual impairments.

Methods:

This ongoing prospective interventional study includes baseline assessment of oral health status using the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index, Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (OHI-S), and caregiver-administered questionnaires assessing oral health knowledge and practices. The intervention comprises ISL-based educational videos, pictorial learning materials, audio-supported content, and AI-enabled reinforcement tools tailored to participants' communication needs. Follow-up assessments are planned at 3 and 6 months to evaluate changes in oral health awareness, behavioral practices, and clinical indicators.

Expected Results:

The study is currently in progress. It is anticipated that participants will demonstrate improvements in oral health knowledge, oral hygiene practices, and oral health status following exposure to the multimedia intervention.

Conclusion:

This study seeks to address communication barriers in oral health education through an inclusive, technology-driven approach. The findings are expected to contribute to the development of scalable and accessible models for oral health promotion among children with sensory disabilities and support broader integration of AI-assisted interventions in special care dentistry.