Turkish Hearing in Noise Test for Adults: Revisited and Updated Normative Data

This study aimed to revisit and update the normative data for the Turkish HINT by presenting headphone and loudspeaker results, establishing reference values in a quiet, non-sound-treated room, and identifying common clinical application errors with recommendations for improving test accuracy and consistency.

This was a prospective cross-sectional study. A total of 30 normal-hearing adults were participated. The measurements were performed in a quiet, non-sound-treated room in an ENT clinic. Each participant was tested with both headphones and loudspeakers under four listening conditions: Quiet, Noise Front (NF), Noise Right (NR), and Noise Left (NL). The Reception Threshold for Sentences (RTS) in quiet and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in three conditions (NF, NR, and NL) were assessed.

The mean scores and standard deviations of the best two-score averages obtained with headphones and loudspeakers were presented. A significant multivariate effect of presentation mode (loudspeakers vs. headphones) was detected (p < 0.001). Performance varied significantly across front and side listening conditions, while no difference was found between the NR and NL conditions under either presentation mode (p < 0.001).

Normative data for headphones and loudspeakers in a quiet room rather than a sound-treated booth were provided. Such data are important because many clinics either lack access to sound-treated booths or have booths that are too small to accommodate the loudspeakers. In addition, several issues encountered during test administration were discussed, and practical solutions were presented.