Screening for Work-Related Voice Disorders in Teachers

This study aimed to assess the prevalence and analyze characteristics and symptoms of non-infectious sore-throat in teachers.

Adult persons employed as teachers were screened for non-infectious sore throat. A cross-sectional study was performed in patients with non-infectious sore throat confirmed based on clinical examination.

Out of 1008 teachers who participated in the screening, non-infectious sore throat was found in 70 respondents (6.9%). Most of the participants with non-infectious sore throat were women with a mean age of 45.5 years and a mean length of service 18.1 years. A small number of participants (n = 7, 10%) often visited a medical doctor because of throat problems. Over 80% of participants commonly used throat therapeutic agents. The most common symptoms were dry throat, tickling, and scratching in the throat. The oropharyngeal mucosa in most subjects was slightly red to red, the tonsils were normal, and there was no oropharyngeal enanthema. The median subjective assessments using the visual analog scale from zero to ten were four (interquartile range (IQR) 0-5) for pain, four (IQR 1-5) for difficulty in swallowing, and two (IQR 0-4) for swelling of the pharynx back wall. Of the analyzed risk factors, the highest percentages of participants were using air conditioning and consuming chilled and carbonated drinks, 21.4% were smokers and 10% of participants had a confirmed respiratory allergy.

The prevalence of non-infectious sore throat was 6.9% with the most common symptoms being dry throat, tickling, and scratching in the throat. While a small percentage of participants often visited a medical doctor because of throat problems, the majority of them used throat therapeutic agents. Additional multicentric prospective studies are needed to increase our knowledge about symptoms and therapeutic strategies for non-infectious sore throat and voice disorders in general.