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The pure-tone hearing thresholds of otologically healthy 14-year-old children
P Rahko-Laitila1, P Karma, P Laippala
1Department of Radiology, Turku University Central Hospital, Finland.
Insights
This study presents normal hearing thresholds for 534 children. Most children exhibited normal air and bone conduction hearing thresholds, indicating healthy middle ear function.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Pediatric audiology
- Otolaryngology
Background:
- Establishing normative hearing data is crucial for identifying hearing impairments in children.
- Previous studies may not reflect current urban pediatric populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present normative pure-tone air and bone conduction hearing thresholds for a cohort of urban Caucasian children.
- To establish a reference range for normal hearing in this specific demographic.
Main Methods:
- Audiometric evaluation of 534 urban Caucasian children with normal otological examinations.
- Exclusion of children with pathological middle ear findings or abnormal impedance audiometry.
- Measurement of pure-tone air conduction (AC) and bone conduction (BC) hearing thresholds (HT).
Main Results:
- Mean AC thresholds ranged from 0.6 dB at 1 kHz to 9.9 dB at 6 kHz.
- Mean BC thresholds ranged from -1.1 dB at 0.5 kHz to 1.1 dB at 4 kHz.
- The pure-tone average (PTA) for AC HT was 1.5 dB; 90-98% of AC HTs at 0.5-4 kHz were between -5 dB and 10 dB.
Conclusions:
- The study provides valuable normative hearing data for urban Caucasian children.
- Findings suggest a high prevalence of normal hearing within the studied pediatric population.
- These data can aid in the accurate diagnosis of hearing loss in children.
Abstract:
The mean pure-tone air conduction (AC) and bone conduction (BC) hearing thresholds (HT) of 534 randomly selected, caucasian, white, urban children with normal otoscopy, otomicroscopy and impedance audiometry, i.e. normal middle ear function, are presented here. Children with pathological middle ear findings or abnormal impedance audiometry were excluded. The average age was 13.8 years, SD 0.5, at the date of examination. The mean air conduction thresholds varied between 0.6 dB at 1 kHz and 9.9 dB at 6 kHz, and the bone conduction thresholds varied between -1.1 dB at 0.5 kHz and 1.1 dB at 4 kHz. The pure-tone average (PTA) (the average of AC hearing thresholds of 0.5, 1 and 2 kHz) of all ears was 1.5 dB. Ninety to ninety-eight per cent of pure-tone AC hearing thresholds at frequencies of 0.5-4 kHz were between -5 dB and 10 dB. The distributions are presented and compared.