Hands OnHearing loss
Section snippets
Background
Among the occupational hazards of working in a dental office is one that is often ignored: hearing loss. Dental health care workers are constantly bombarded with intermittent and continuous noise from instruments, instrument cleaning devices, air compressors, model trimmers, business office equipment, music, and heating and cooling units. Because of infection control procedures, hard surfaces that are easy to clean are the norm in dental offices, but these surfaces radiate the noises throughout
Types of Hearing Loss
The major types of hearing loss are sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) (Table 2). Tinnitus, which is a hearing impairment rather than a loss, can accompany either kind of hearing problem and occurs more often in persons with hearing loss of some type.
SNHL is the most common type of hearing loss and occurs when the cochlea or nerve pathways from the inner ear to the brain are damaged. The ability to hear faint sounds is compromised, and speech seems muffled
Effect on Daily Life
Men are twice as likely as women to suffer severe hearing loss. As the exposure to the noisy work environment increases, tinnitus and hearing difficulties are more likely to develop. As already stated, hearing loss can interfere with communication, which can adversely affect a person’s ability to function as a dental care practitioner. In addition, it can contribute to poor workplace safety status, cause social isolation, lead to depression, and be associated with higher rates of mental and
Prevention
NIHL prevention is most critical during the first 10 years of excessive noise exposure. A standard audiogram will provide a hearing threshold assessment, with high-frequency threshold audiometry to help in detecting NIHL early in its course.
Preventive programs need to identify which noises cause damage (those measuring over 85 decibels), include the use of earplugs or other protective devices, caution people to move away from or eliminate noises if possible, and seek testing and help if they
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Guignon AN: Can you hear me now? Hear about occupational noise−induced hearing loss among dental professionals. RDH vol 36, issue 6
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