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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.

Audiology : Official Organ of the International Society of Audiology
|August 28, 2001
PubMed

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.

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