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Unoccluded bone conduction screening as an alternative to impedance screening
Journal of the American Audiology Society
|November 1, 1976
Summary
A 10-decibel (dB) bone-conducted (BC) signal effectively supplements school hearing screenings. This supplemental BC test helps identify conductive hearing issues in children during school screenings.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Pediatric audiology
- Hearing screening
Background:
- School hearing screenings are crucial for early detection of hearing loss.
- Pure-tone air-conduction screenings are standard but may miss certain types of hearing pathology.
- Bone-conducted (BC) signals offer an alternative method to assess hearing sensitivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the optimal intensity level for an unoccluded BC signal as a supplemental school screening tool.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of a 500 Hz BC tone in identifying conductive hearing pathology.
Main Methods:
- A public school population underwent standard impedance audiometry and pure-tone air-conduction screening.
- Four intensity levels (0, 5, 10, 15 dB HL) of a 500 Hz unoccluded BC tone were presented.
- Tetrachoric analysis was used, comparing BC results against impedance screening outcomes.
Main Results:
- A 10-dB hearing level (HL) unoccluded BC signal at 500 Hz proved effective.
- This specific BC signal level successfully identified conductive pathology when used supplementally.
Conclusions:
- A 10-dB unoccluded 500 Hz BC signal is a suitable supplemental procedure for school hearing screenings.
- This method enhances the identification of conductive hearing issues in the pediatric population studied.