Hearing Threshold of Dental Practitioners in Various Clinical Settings

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship of the working environment’s noise intensity level, distance from the source of noise, duration of the noise exposure and age of dentist to the hearing threshold level of general dental practitioners, dental students and dental supervisors and to determine if the noise in a dental facility can cause noise induced hearing loss. Materials and Methods: Thirty participants per group were enrolled in the study. The noise intensity level was measured with the use of noise level meter placed at the collar area of the operator and at the center of the room. The distance of noise exposure was set to 0.15 meters to simulate close proximity noise exposure of general dental practitioners and dental students while 2 meters was set for dental supervisors to represent exposure away from the sound source. The duration of noise exposure and age of the participants were determined with the use of a questionnaire. The participants were requested to have audiometric testing to determine their hearing threshold level. Results: There was a weak negative correlation of noise intensity level to hearing threshold level at 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz for the left ear and 2000 Hz for the right ear. However, distance from sound source, duration of sound exposure and age of the dentist were positively correlated to hearing threshold level at 3000 Hz, 4000 Hz, 6000 Hz and 8000 Hz. Noise intensity level did not reach the hazardous level on an 8-hour time weighted average. Conclusion: The Noise intensity level in a dental environment is considered to be safe to dentists who are practicing their profession. The age of the dentist and the duration of exposure from noise are the major factors in the increase in the hearing threshold level of a dental practitioner.