Hearing tests: study of hearing alterations on students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the hearing losses and middle ear diseases that are found in schoolchildren. 984 children from the first year of the primary school served as subjects. The individual puretone screening was made in a car. When one failed, an audiological evaluation which include audiometry, speech audiometry and impendance measurements are done. The major findings of this investigations were=1. Among all the children tested – 6,4% failed at the screening – 3,8% failed at the audiological evaluation. (the disorders were bilateral in 24 cases and unilateral in 14 cases) – 1,2% didn’t come to the evaluation. 2. Among all the ears that failed – 54,1% got serious otitis media. – 24,6% got conductive hearing losses related or not to otitis media. –21,3% got sensorineural hearing losses related or not to otitis media. Even though the aim of this procedure is to identify sensorineural hearing losses, it led us to a high incidence of middle ear diseases, specially serious otitis media. The present data and earlier studies led us to the following conclusions= A research needs an investigation of the factors that may influence this high incidence. – A combination or audiometry and impendance measurements is recommended, and – Prevention and proper otological and audiological care can only be reached by a routine employment of hearing-screening procedures.