Abstract
Objectives/Aims:Dental practitioners are prone to hearing loss due to noise exposure encountered in dental clinics. The aim of this study was to determine whether the persistent high-frequency sounds produced by the dental equipment could cause hearing decrement among the Saudi dental practitioners.Materials and Methods:This cross-sectional study included 38 randomly selected Saudi dentists from different specialties who were exposed to noise during working hours and 38 individuals as a control group. The participants underwent four audiometric tests that included an otoscopic examination, tympanometry, pure tone audiometry and the distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) test.Results:The data revealed that ~15.8% of the dentists and 2.6% of the control group had some hearing loss. No significant difference was found between the two groups in the pure tone audiometry test; however, qualitative analysis revealed a higher percentage of hearing loss among the dentists’ group as compared with their control counterparts. A statistically significant difference was found in DPOAEs between the two groups in the left ear (P=0.002), and between the right and left ears (P=0.005).Discussion:In the present cross-sectional study, the prevalence of hearing loss among dentists as assessed with the pure tone audiometry test was 15.8%. Which was in accordance with a previous study performed by Khaimook et al., which revealed the prevalence of hearing loss in dental personnel to be 17.7%; however, no significant differences were observed compared to the control group in both studies. The otoacoustic emission test in the left ear exhibited significant changes. These changes could have been due to the presence and continuity of the sounds produced by high- and low-velocity suction devices on the left side of the dental unit knowing that 97% of the dentists are right handed.Conclusion:Evidence suggests that noise from dental clinics can cause hearing problems, which had a greater effect on the left ear than the right; however, these problems are not severe in nature. Noise-induced hearing loss was more prevalent among the dentists than the control group.
Highlights
According to the national institute for occupational safety and health, noise has been identified as one of the 10 leading causes of work-related diseases or injuries.[1]
Thirty-eight dentists from different specialties who work at various governmental hospitals and private clinics that were exposed to occupational noise and a control group of thirty-eight matched nondental professionals were recruited; matching was done based on age, gender and whether that participant was a smoker/non-smoker
The assessments of noise-induced hearing loss with the distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) tests revealed no significant differences between the two groups in the right ear (P = 0.355), but a significant difference was found for the left ear (P = 0.002) and in both ears combined (P = 0.005) (Table 2)
Summary
According to the national institute for occupational safety and health, noise has been identified as one of the 10 leading causes of work-related diseases or injuries.[1] The amount of damage depends primarily on the intensity of the noise and the duration of the exposure. High-level short-duration exposures to more than 140 decibel (dB, i.e., a unit that measures sound intensity) can stretch the delicate inner ear tissues beyond their elastic limits and rip or tear them apart. This type of damage (acoustic trauma) develops rapidly and causes an immediate and permanent hearing loss. The factors that affect the degree and extent of hearing impairment include the intensity and type of noise, the period of exposure each day, total work duration, distance from the source, and individual age and susceptibility.[4]
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