Oral Health in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Individuals: Addressing Widespread Global Health Barriers Through Emerging Digital Technologies-A Comprehensive Review.

Background/

Objectives

Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) individuals face significant barriers in accessing healthcare, which may negatively impact oral health outcomes. Despite increasing recognition of these disparities, oral health remains underexplored, and the integration of emerging digital technologies to support accessible dental care is still limited. Therefore, the present comprehensive review aims to provide an overview of the oral health status of DHH individuals and the potential role of emerging digital technologies specifically tailored for the DHH population, considering, when relevant, the heterogeneity of this population based on the subgroup impairments classification.

Methods

An electronic search was conducted across PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science databases till October 2025. An additional manual search was performed through reference screening of included studies.

Results

DHH individuals exhibited poor periodontal health, high caries experience with predominant untreated decayed components, and unmet orthodontic needs. Emerging technologies, including m-health applications, 3D sign language avatars, speech-to-text systems, and virtual reality, may improve oral health literacy, reduce dental anxiety, and enhance patient-provider communication.

Conclusions

Disparities in oral health among DHH individuals stem primarily from communicative impairments. Integrating tailored digital solutions into clinical pathways and professional education may offer a viable solution for fostering equitable, patient-centered dental care.