Vocal tract discomfort in teachers after teaching activity

Purpose To evaluate the vocal tract discomfort (VTD) reported by teachers, comparing their vocal self-assessment at three different times: before teaching, after four hours of teaching, and after eight hours of teaching. Methods The study sample was composed of 50 teachers: 42 women and eight men. The participating teachers were divided into two groups according to the cutoff value of the Voice Symptom Scale (VoiSS): Vocal Risk Group (VRG) and Vocally Healthy Group (VHG). The List of Vocal Signs and Symptoms (LVSS) was used to identify the number of vocal symptoms in each group. The groups were evaluated at three specific moments (before (BT) and after four (4HT) and eight (8HT) hours of teaching) by means of the Vocal Tract Discomfort Scale (VTD scale) and vocal self-assessment. Results The VRG presented more vocal signs and symptoms of the LVSS than the VHG (total: VHG=0.56/VRG=1.60, p<0.001; work-related VHG=0.79/VRG=2.49, p<0.001). The VHG did not report change in discomfort for both frequency (p=1.132) and severity (p=0.431) and showed better vocal self-assessment (BT=0.67; 4HT=0.96; 8HT=0.96, p=0.007). However, the VRG presented vocal tract discomfort after four and eight hours of teaching for both frequency (BT=1.60; 4HT=2.49; 8HT=2.95, p<0.001) and severity (BT=1.79; 4HT=2.52; 8HT=3.12, p<0.001) and worse voice self-assessment (BT=2.00; 4HT=2.42; 8HT=3.00, p<0.001). Conclusion Teachers at vocal risk present worse vocal self-assessment and increased vocal tract discomfort throughout the teaching working day.