Hearing Screening for Jeollanam-do Infants and Children

Abstract

The hearing losses of infants or children were more important than adults’, especially 3 ~ 6 year-old ages are the most important period in their life for developments of speech, language, and perception. Though slight or mild hearing loss, hearing loss of that period might affect behavior, development, recognition, education, and overall life. This study performed hearing screening for 0 ~ 6 year-old children (175 subjects, 350 ears) in Jeollanam-do. The results of hearing screening were divided rates of ‘PASS’ and ‘REFER’ by testing 3 types evaluations-otoscopy, tympanometry, and pure tone audiometry. 1) otoscopy was looked at status of tympanic membrane and external meatus, 2) tympanometry was classified type of tympanogram by using standards of Jerger(1970), 3) pure tone audiometry was just checked all or none of response at 20 dB HL in 0.5, 1, 2, 4 kHz. All of subjects were had normal tympanic membrane but 67.9% showed partially impacted cerumen or impacted cerumen. A type of tympanogram (‘PASS’) was 48.15%, As and C types of tympanogram (‘REFER’) were 52.85%. The results of ‘PASS’ about pure tone audiometry, 27.8% were responded at 20 dB HL all frequencies (0.5, 1, 2, 4 kHz) and 72.2% was not responded at least one frequency. The rates of ‘PASS’ at tympanometry and pure tone audiometry screening were very low level as 21.6%. These results developed and fast, corrective, and various hearing screening programs for infants and children containing educational program of teachers and parents were created in further research.