METHOD: A cross sectional study was carried out where caretakers of cleft lip and/or palate were asked to complete the translated Malay language version of Strength Difficulties Questionnaire. The hearing status of the children was analyzed based on recent pure tone audiometric and tympanogram results. The patients' age, gender, type of cleft pathology, age of palatal surgery and behavioural patterns were examined for their potential relationship with hearing status.
RESULTS: A total of 74 children (148 ears) aged between 7 and 17 years with cleft lip and/or palate were recruited. The result showed 37 ears (25.0%) had hearing loss with majority suffered from mild conductive hearing loss. There were 16 ears (10.8%) that had persistent middle ear effusion. Hearing improvement occurred when palatal repair was performed at the age of less than 1 year old. (p = 0.015) There was no significant relationship between patients' gender, age, type of cleft and history of myringotomy with their hearing status. In terms of behavioural patterns, 16.3% were abnormal for total behavioural score, 39.2% for peer problem and 17.6% for conduct problem. For prosocial behaviour, 16.3% were rated low and very low. There was fair correlation between age and hyperactivity problems (r = 0.44). Patients' gender, type of cleft pathology, had been teased apart and hearing status was found not related to behavioural problems.
CONCLUSION: Cleft lip and/or palate patients have a good longterm hearing outcome. Majority had normal hearing and if there is hearing impairment, it is only a mild loss. Early palatal repair surgery before the age of 1 year can significantly reduce the risk of hearing loss. Cleft lip and/or palate patients experienced peer problems. There was no significant correlation between behavioural difficulty and hearing status among school-aged children with cleft lip and palate.
METHODS: Secondary analysis was carried out on data collected by the Grand Challenge Project among older adults aged ≥65 years from Selangor. Data on sociodemographic information, medical history, cognitive function and functional performance were obtained through face-to-face interviews using standardized questionnaires. Visual acuity was measured using the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) chart while hearing was assessed using pure-tone audiometry. Descriptive analysis was used to measure the prevalence of the impairments, and logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors.
RESULTS: The prevalence of dual sensory impairment and hearing impairment were at 10.5% and 76.2% respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that participants with lower cognitive scores were associated with dual sensory impairment (odds ratio, 0.90; 95% confidence interval, 0.83-0.98), while smoking was found associated with hearing impairment (odds ratio, 6.58; 95% confidence interval, 1.51-28.65).
CONCLUSION: Dual sensory impairment is common among older adults in Selangor. The association between dual sensory impairment and cognitive function suggests the need to have visual and hearing screening on older adults for early detection particularly those at risk of cognitive impairment. The prevalence of hearing impairment was reported high among older adults and smokers appeared to be at higher risk of the impairment. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 911-916.
METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 205 normal hearing adult participants with an age range between 25 and 54 years old. Hearing analysis with extended high-frequency pure-tone audiometry (PTA) and high-frequency DPOAE was carried out for all eligible participants. High-frequency presbycusis was considered to be present when the impairment of more than 25 dB occurs at higher than 8 kHz frequencies on both ears.
RESULTS: Prevalence of high-frequency presbycusis using extended PTA was 31.7 (95% CI: 25.3, 38.1) and using high-frequency DPOAE was 57.4 (95% CI: 50.7, 64.4). The sensitivity and specificity of high-frequency DPOAE in detecting high-frequency presbycusis were 72.3 and 49.3% respectively with positive predictive value of 39.8% and negative predictive value of 79.3%. The association between age and high-frequency presbycusis was significant based on high-frequency DPOAE (p = 0.029).
CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of high-frequency hearing loss is higher with increasing in age. High-frequency DPOAE may be used as a screening tool followed by confirmation using extended PTA. The early detection of presbycusis is important so that measures can be taken to prevent more severe problems developing.
METHOD: This was a retrospective study in which high-resolution computed tomography images of paediatric patients with severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss were reviewed. A cochlear nerve canal diameter of 1.5 mm or less in the axial plane was classified as stenotic. Semicircular canals and other bony labyrinth morphology and abnormality were evaluated.
RESULTS: Cochlear nerve canal stenosis was detected in 65 out of 265 ears (24 per cent). Of the 65 ears, 17 ears had abnormal semicircular canals (26 per cent). Significant correlation was demonstrated between cochlear nerve canal stenosis and semicircular canal abnormalities (p < 0.01). Incomplete partition type II was the most common accompanying abnormality of cochlear nerve canal stenosis (15 out of 65, 23 per cent).
CONCLUSION: Cochlear nerve canal stenosis is statistically associated with semicircular canal abnormalities. Whenever a cochlear nerve canal stenosis is present in a patient with sensorineural hearing loss, the semicircular canal should be scrutinised for presence of abnormalities.
AIM: This study aimed at exploring the correlates of dental visits of children with hearing loss (CWHL) in Indonesia using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB).
DESIGN: This cross-sectional study involved purposive sampling methods, conducted via an online survey administered to mothers of CWHL who were aged 5-12 years. Constructs of the TPB model were collected, including the mother's attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behaviour control (PBC) and intention towards dental visits for CWHL. Dental visits were measured by asking whether their children had a dental visit within the last 12 months. Data were analysed using SPSS for descriptive and bivariate analyses. The significance level was set as p .05). Intention did not significantly predict the mother's behaviour towards children's dental visits (p > .05).
CONCLUSION: The TPB model revealed a construct associated with dental visit intention and behaviour in CWHL. This study suggested that effective promotion intervention should focus on the mother's PBC to increase parents' adherence to preventive dental visits in CWHL in Indonesia.
Materials and Methods: Fifty-nine children were recruited in this study that were allocated randomly into each group with twenty children as follows: group 1: pictorial, group 2: video, and group 3: control. Mean plaque and gingival scores were noted before and after the use of different interventions. Oral hygiene was categorized as "excellent," "good," and "fair." Gingival health was categorized as "healthy," "mild gingivitis," and "moderate gingivitis."
Results: Thirty-four children (57.6%) were from 12-13 years of age bracket, and 25 (42.4%) belonged to 14-16 years of age. Regarding gender, there were 37 (62.7%) males and 22 (37.3%) females. About comparison of mean gingival and plaque scores before and after interventions in each group, a significant difference was found in group 1 (p < 0.001) and group 2 (p < 0.001), as compared to group 3 where the difference in scores was not significant (p > 0.05).
Conclusion: Maintaining oral health requires the compliance of individuals to perform different methods of preventive dentistry, such as tooth brushing and use of dental floss. The use of different oral hygiene educational interventions such as pictorial and video methods have been proven and useful for hearing impaired children in improving oral health.