Occupational noise effects on hearing thresholds, speech perception, and self-reported hearing abilities in young adult dental hospital personnel

Abstract

This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the effects of occupational noise exposure on objective auditory function and self-reported hearing difficulties in young adult dental professionals. It included 56 young adults (aged 18–40), divided into the noise-exposed (n=31) and unexposed control group (n=25). Auditory assessments consisted of pure-tone audiometry (250–8000 Hz), word recognition in clinical speech-in-noise (SIN) test at 0 dB and −5 dB signal-to-noise ratios, and the self-reported Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ). No significant differences were observed between the exposed and control groups in pure-tone thresholds or SIN performance, but the exposed group reported significantly poorer hearing abilities on the SSQ Speech (7.53, 8.30; p=0.043) and SSQ Qualities (8.30, 8.91; p=0.014) subscales. These findings suggest that standard clinical assessments may overlook early functional deficits associated with occupational noise and that self-reported hearing difficulties may complement conventional audiometric assessment before measurable threshold shifts occur.