The Prevalence and Awareness of Congenital External Ear Deformity among the School-Age Group: A Cross-Sectional Study

Congenital outer ear deformities stem from a sequence of disturbances during fetal auricular cartilage embryonic development. A significant gap exists in understanding their prevalence among the school-age group in Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional study aims to address this knowledge gap to raise awareness about the impact of such disorders.

This cross-sectional study targeted parents of children in the school-age group. A multistage cluster sampling technique was employed to ensure the representation of schools. A self-administered Google form survey was used. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 28.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY).

Our study revealed that the majority were males (56.2%), aged 6 to 10 years (49.3%), and attended primary school (69.5%). Chronic illnesses were present in 7.1% of children, with hearing impairment most prevalent (25.9%). Congenital ear deformities affected 2.7% of children, primarily Stahl's ear (35.4%). Limited knowledge about these deformities was observed among respondents (30.3%), yet a significant majority (73.9%) expressed belief in the potential of community awareness to decrease deformity prevalence. The awareness levels were impacted by parental education but showed no significant association with the child's age, gender, or presence of chronic diseases.

Our study underscores the noteworthy occurrence of congenital ear deformities among the school-age group, coupled with a notable lack of awareness. Parental education emerges as a key factor influencing awareness levels. It is imperative to prioritize initiatives to bolster awareness and early detection to promote child health.