An Evaluation of Maximum Safe Practice Time of Iranian Musical Instruments to Protect Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in Professionals

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is one of the most common causes of sensorineural hearing loss. The prevention of NIHL in musicians requires a better understanding of its contributing exposure factors. We aimed to determine typical sound exposure levels received by professional musicians during solitary practice and calculate the maximum safe practice time (MSPT) for the main Iranian musical instruments.  

We conducted a cross-sectional study on 185 professional musicians (147 men and 38 women) between April 2018 and April 2019.  The MSPT was calculated for each instrument if the mean sound level was below 85 dB in all musicians, and the music was considered a safe instrument; if it was >85 dB, it was considered a high-risk instruments and some other instruments had different mean sound level (in some participants <85 dB and some other players >85 dB), so these instruments were considered as borderline instruments.   

The mean age of the participants was 36.66 ± 0.85 years and their mean daily practice time was 2.89 ± 0.13 hours. The daily practice was significantly higher in plucked string instruments as compared to other instruments (p < 0.001). The mean sound level of every instrument varied from 67.77 to 100.77 dB in the right ear and 67.20 to 100.12 dB in the left ear. The highest sound level was in sorna and the lowest one in zanburak.   

It seems musicians observe the MSPT of each instrument as much as possible. It is recommended to determine the comprehensive protocol for each instrument to prevent hearing loss in musicians.