Assessment of hearing disorders in a cleft palate population

Aim: Hearing impairment is one of the associated problems to cleft palate; although it affects language development, it has rarely been noticed in literature. The aim of this study is evaluating cleft palate patients’ hearing condition and the relationship of different incorporated elements with their hearing. Materials and methods: Forty-two patients with cleft palate (۲۳ males and ۱۹ females) were selected among patients referring to orthodontic department of Shahid Beheshti university and Nime Sha’ban dental clinic of Kerman, their files were surveyed according to audiometric and tympanometric tests (A,B and C). Likewise the relationship of other factors including age, gender, type of cleft (unilateral, bilateral), history of previous reconstructive surgery and presence of oronasal fistula were studied on hearing. Chi-square and t-tests were used to analyze the data. Results: Twenty-three patients (۵۴.۷%) had one ear or both ears mild conductive hearing loss; and tympanogram-B was observed in ۳۸ ears from ۸۴ ears. These disorders were mostly observed in younger patients. Gender and type of cleft had no relationship with hearing condition. The average of hearing threshold in patients who had cleft palate surgery and patients without oronasal fistula was lower than other groups. Conclusion: Hearing problem was observed in more than %۵۰ of the studied patients; which determines the need for proper examination and diagnosis following by predetermined treatment protocols.

Keywords:

Cleft palate , Hearing loss , Audiometry , Tympanometry