Rates of hearing loss in primary school children in Australia: A systematic review

Abstract

Objective: To systematically review literature reports of the rates of hearing impairment in primary school children in Australia.Methods: A search of five electronic databases yielded three studies that had used follow-up diagnostic hearing assessment to examine hearing impairment in primary school children in Australia.Results: The rate of hearing impairment in primary school children in Australia was estimated to lie between 3.4 and 12.8%. The rates of different types of hearing impairment were estimated as follows: conductive hearing impairment between 2.6 and 7.1%, sensorineural hearing impairment between 0 and 1.19%, and mixed hearing impairment between 0.1 and 4.0%. All estimated rates were affected by the use of different criteria to define the presence of hearing impairment.Conclusions: The rates of hearing impairment in primary school children in Australia were higher than those reported in other high- income countries, mostly as a result of a higher rate of conductive hearing impairment. The present study's suggestion of higher rates of conductive hearing impairment in primary school children in Australia warrants further consideration as such impairments can be detected and managed using existing health resources.