Cerumen knowledge and ear cleaning practices among medical students in Saudi Arabia: An observational study

Abstract

Background and Aim: Cerumen (earwax) is naturally secreted in human ears and can cause ear obstruction. When individuals at- tempt to remove cerumen from their own ears with tools, it can cause cerumen impaction, injuries, and otitis externa, which are risk factors for hearing loss. Clinicians need to educate their patients accordingly; thus, medical students should have sufficient knowledge of the topic. Here, we investigated the knowledge، awareness، and practices of cerumen and ear self-cleaning approaches among medical students at Al Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between June and July 2020. A questionnaire was distributed to medical students to determine their knowledge and practices of cerumen and ear cleaning. Correlations assessed relationships between demographic factors and knowledge. Results: Of 814 medical students who received the survey, 708 students completed the questionnaire (response rate = 86.9%). Males represented 61% of the sample. Most (73%) were aged 21 to 25 years; of them, 64% had cleaned their own ears, mostly with cotton buds (79%), in order to remove cerumen (30.8%). Overall, 85% of students had good knowledge; this was affected by gender and college years. Predominantly, 81% of students had high-risk practices. Conclusions: Although most medical students had a good level of knowledge about cerumen, many cleansed their own ears using cotton buds, despite knowing that it could harm the ear. As completing an otolaryngology course had marked effects on knowledge levels, we recommend further awareness programs to increase knowledge among preclinical students.