Otoscopic findings in a group of schoolchildren in Kuwait

Middle ear diseases are the most common cause of hearing impairment in children. Therefore, we found it important to conduct a study to reveal the frequency of different middle ear conditions. Using an otoscope with a magnifying lens 826 children in their second grade of primary school were examined. Various kinds of ear canal and middle ear pathology were found. An extremely high percentage (41%) of the 1,652 examined ears did show significant pathology. The different findings will be presented and comparison with other similar studies will be done.