Hearing loss in 7 to 11 years old school boys of Mashhad without recognized ear problems: 2006

ntroduction: The aim of this research was to determine the prevalence of hearing impairments and its associations with different ear problems among schoolboys in Mashhad, Iran. In this cross sectional research, a representative sample of 1047 schoolboys (between age group 7 to 11 years) was subjected to diapason tests, Otoscopic examination and questionnaire. Then in the next step, suspected cases were visited by an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist and subjected to Pure Tone Audiometry (PTA). Data analysis identified 29 children with hearing impairment (72.1% mild, 20.9% moderate, and 2.3% severe and4.7% profound) making a prevalence of 2.76% (60.4% conductive, 27.9% sensorineural and 11.7% mixed hearing impairment).Data analysis revealed ear problems with the following prevalence’s: ear wax (13.7%), otalgia (11%), ear trauma (5.3%) and ear washing (3.6%). The prevalence of hearing impairment was comparable to that in developed countries, but was better than that in developing countries.