| Author/Editor | Škripec, Damir | |
| Title | Prizadetost sluha pri stomatologih ljubljanske regije | |
| Type | monografija | |
| Place | Ljubljana | |
| Publisher | Univerza v Ljubljani, Medicinska fakulteta | |
| Publication year | 2003 | |
| Volume | str. 49 | |
| Language | slo | |
| Abstract | BACKGROUND. Dentists are in their working environment exposed to noise, produced by air-driven and micro-motor driven handpieces, classical and high-speed aspirators, aparatures needed to prepair material and some of the sterilization units. Such exposure could lead to noise-induced hearing damage. AIM OF THE STUDY. The aim of the study was to asses the severity of hearing impairment of dentists. We also wanted to measure daily and weekly amount of noise irnmited during working time. HYPOTHESIS. Our working hypothesis was that dentists' hearing is worse than that of matched population not exposed to such noise. METHODS. Hearing was tested on 60 dentists from Ljubljana region who voluntarily joined the study after receiving an invitation. They were grouped according to age in five groups (n>5 for each group). Hearing was assessed using pure-tone audiometry. Results obtained from pure-tone audiometry were compared with audiologicaly normal, age and sex adjusted population, by using two-way independent sample t-test. RESULTS. The difference in hearing threshold differed significantly from that of control group, especially that of dentists younger than 50 years. The difference was statistically different in lower frequencies (p=0,029 in age group 31-40 years, p=0,015 in age group 41-50 years) as well as in high frequencies (p=0,002 in age group 31-40 years, p<0,001 in age group 41-50 years). The difference in hearing threshold was also noticed in age groups older than 50 years, but wan not statistically different. The maximum change in hearing threshold occurs during 10-12 years of exposure to noise. After that the hearing threshold continues to shift upward, but the difference in hearing thresholds between test and control group slowly decreases. Measurements of daily and weekly immision of noise during working time did not even reach the minimal level of noise which the measuring device registers (80 dB(A)). (Abstract truncated at 2000 characters) | |
| Descriptors | OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE DENTISTS HEARING TESTS HEARING DISORDERS AUDIOMETRY, PURE-TONE |