Screening of school children in rural areas to detect early hearing loss: a population based necessity

Background: This study is aimed to detect early hearing loss in school going children and to create awareness about the same in the parents with necessary counselling for further necessary management and correction, so as to avoid hearing disability and to improve social communication. Methods: School going children in primary classes 1st-6th standard in a village close to the Murbad region of Maharashtra state were screened to detect early loss. A total of 619 students out of 683 students studying underwent screening. After initial checkup of ears, free field hearing (FFH) and tuning fork tests (TFTs) were done. Pure tone audiometry (PTA) was reserved and was done for children who had suspected hearing loss on tuning fork tests. Results: Hearing loss was detected in 50 students with an overall prevalence of hearing impairment of 8.1% (50/619). Hearing loss was noticed more in girls (9.3%) than boys (6.9%). Most of the hearing loss was conductive in nature. Conclusions: This screening study highlights the need for conducting regular screening tests for early detection of hearing impairment in rural school going children at an early age to avoid hearing disability and to provide necessary hearing rehabilitation at an early age.