Management Of Deaf And Mute Completely Edentulous Patient Using Various Communication Aids During Complete Denture Rehabilitation- A Review And A Case Report

Background: Hearing impairment is a condition in which patients are fully/ partially unable to detect some frequencies of sound that are perceived by normal individuals. It can be congenital/acquired, conductive/sensorineural (with associated speech impairement)/mixed; unilateral/bilateral, and mild/moderate/severe/profound. Management of a deaf and mute completely edentulous individual is always challenging. Hence, a prosthodontist needs to be sensitive to the non-verbal mode of communication Case Report: A 57-year-old female patient reported with a chief complaint of missing upper and lower teeth and inability to chew. She is suffering from hearing loss and difficulty in speaking due to childhood trauma. Medical records revealed sensorineural bilateral severe hearing loss (80 dB) and speech impairment. Intraoral examination showed completely edentulous maxillary and mandibular arches. The rehabilitation with conventional complete denture was madesuccessful by establishing an effective communication with patient and reciprocation of the functional movements by the patients, upon using combination of 4 different modes of communications like sign languages, visual aids –models, videos, lip-reading by the patient and by the guidance of interpreter/ bystander. Conclusion: The challenge of communicating with deaf and mute during treatment phase of complete denture could be overcome by using combinations of communication modes rather than relying on a single mode. Visual aids and sign language gave better responses than other modes.