The need for a smart phone application to facilitate communication between deaf-mute and hearing-impaired patients and dentists

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to determine the difficulty of communication between deaf-mute and hearing-impaired individuals, and their dentists and the need for an application to facilitate communication. Materials and methods: This is a cross-sectional study. A self-reported questionnaire was distributed among individuals with hearing disability. We measured demographic data, deaf-mute and hearing-impaired patients experience at the dental office, their interest and ability to use modern means of communication, and their willingness to use smartphones, tablets or computers to communicate with their dentists. Fisher's Exact test was used to determine association between different variables with cut-off point (P < 0.05). Results: 58.5% of individuals with deafness or hearing impairment have visited dental offices. 51% of individuals reported they could not understand their dentists during visits. 45.3% stated that their complaints were understood. 30.2% of the information given by dentists were clear to them and only 24.5% of individuals were given all necessary information. 73.58% of all individuals are willing to use mobile applications to facilitate communication if recommended by their dentists. Conclusions: Many individuals with hearing disability are facing difficulties in communication in the dental office. The majority of them are willing to use a mobile application to help them communicate better with their dentists.

Keywords

• deaf-mute
• hearing impairment
• mobile application
• patient-dentist communication