Earphone use habits and their association with auditory and dermatologic complications

Earphones have gained popularity worldwide over the last few years. Despite its usefulness, it may lead to serious harmful effects that disturb the normal hearing process. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 50 males and females in the Qassim region in Saudi Arabia. Samples were collected from participants' earphones and cultured using different agars. We compiled a questionnaire consisting of 11 elements (age, gender, duration use, and symptoms) and measured the hearing level of participants by Diagnostic Audiometric Device. Microsoft Excel 2024 and SPSS version 29 were used to input and analyze the gathered data. 16% of female samples and 24% of male samples were positive for bacterial isolates from the earphones. There was no growth of fungi. Among the study population, (57.7%) of females and (42.3%) of males are having symptoms due to long-duration use of earphones, p-value (0.258). A statistically significant correlation was found between having symptoms and sharing the earphones with others, p-value (0.037). There were 7 participants out of 30 who had abnormal hearing test results. In conclusion, most of our population are aware of the hygiene of the earphones but not the duration and level of sound. Therefore, it's essential to raise awareness of the appropriate and correct way to use earphones.