Effective Use of Flipchart Media in Enhancing Oral and Dental Hygiene Knowledge Among Hearing‑Impaired Children

Abstract

Deaf children often face substantial communication barriers that limit their access to essential oral‑hygiene information, contributing to inadequate oral‑health practices and poor clinical indicators, including an average debris index of 1.9, categorized as poor. Visual educational media such as flipcharts; featuring simple images, colors, and concise text offer a promising strategy to bridge communication gaps and enhance comprehension among children with hearing impairments. This study aimed to evaluate changes in oral‑hygiene knowledge before and after the use of flipchart‑based education at SLB‑B Dharma Wanita Sidoarjo. A pre‑experimental one‑group pretest–posttest design was employed, involving 30 purposively selected respondents. Oral‑hygiene knowledge was measured using a validated questionnaire administered prior to and following the educational intervention. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed‑Rank Test to determine differences in knowledge scores. The results demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in oral‑hygiene knowledge after the intervention, with a p‑value of 0.000 (p < 0.05). The findings indicate that flipchart media effectively support deaf children’s understanding of oral‑hygiene concepts by presenting information in a visual, engaging, and easily accessible format. In conclusion, flipchart‑based education positively influences dental and oral‑hygiene knowledge among deaf children at SLB‑B Dharma Wanita Sidoarjo, underscoring the value of visual learning tools in special‑needs education.

Keywords: flipchart; oral hygiene; knowledge; deafness