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The efficacy of open molds in controlling tinnitus
Gisele Munhoes dos Santos Ferrari1, Tanit Ganz Sanchez, Maria Elisabete Bovino Pedalini
1University of São Paulo, clinical speech and hearing therapy.
Unlabelled:
Hearing aids may be a option to improve tinnitus and hearing loss.
Aim:
to evaluate tinnitus after one month use of BTE hearing aids with open molds and pressure vent molds in patients with symmetric sensorineural hearing loss.
Methods:
50 patients seen at our Tinnitus Clinic who presented bilateral tinnitus and hearing loss underwent a randomized blind crossover clinical trial: 26 first used BTE hearing aids with open molds, and the remaining 24 first used pressure vent molds. After 30 days using the first mold and a wash-out period, the type of earmold was changed and was applied for another 30-day-period. Tinnitus evaluation was done qualitatively (improved, unchanged and worsened) and quantitatively (variation on a numeric scale from 0 to 10).
Results:
82% of the cases reported improvement of tinnitus with at least one type of earmold; there was no significant difference in the reduction of discomfort due to tinnitus in the quantitative and qualitative evaluations. Although similar tinnitus control was obtained with both methods, 66% of the patients preferred the open mold.
Conclusion:
In a short-term evaluation improvement of tinnitus by the use of hearing aids does not depend on earmold ventilation.
