Cleft lip and palate associated hearing loss in Brazilian children

Cleft lip and palate children have chronic otitis media related to Eustachian Tube dysfunction and associated conductive hearing loss. In this group of children, communicative skill development limitations, in association with orofacial aesthetics and functional disorders, can lead to behavioral, educational and social problems.

We evaluated the minimum hearing threshold and the air-bone gap (ABG) in a range from 500 to 4000 Hz for 4-14 years old cleft lip and palate children (CLPC). This cross-sectional study took place in a multiprofessional tertiary care center and involved 89 CLPC with bilateral or unilateral postforamen or transforamen malformation, divided into two groups: those aged 4-7 and 8-14 years. The hearing tests of 89 children were evaluated: 53 (group I) aged from 4 to 7 years (67.9% male) and 36 (group II) aged from 8 to 14 years (55.6% female).

The minimum hearing threshold 500-4 KHz mean (MHT 500-4 KHz) was 19.4 dB for all children. MHT 500-4 KHz was 21.2 dB and 17.5 dB respectively for the group I and group II. Both groups demonstrated a minimum hearing threshold of up to 70 dB at certain frequencies. The global ABG 500-4 KHz average was 16.6 dB (SD 12.5): 19.7 dB (SD 12.9) in group I and 13.2 dB (SD 11.1) in group II.

The worst hearing thresholds were found in children of 4-7 years old: 21.2 dB MHT 500-4 KHz and 19.7 ABG 500-4 KHz, what is a disadvantage for them, as the normal hearing thresholds are up to 15 dB. The children of 8-14 years old had MHT 500-4 KHz of 17.5 dB, and ABG 500-4KHZ OF 13.2 with up to 70 dB of hearing loss.