A practical screening model for hearing loss in Iranian school-aged children.

BACKGROUND Hearing loss is a common and considerable disability that harms educational performance of school children in developing countries like Iran. Lack of a simple and practical screening protocol often deters routine and systematic hearing screening at school entry. METHODS This study was to establish a practical screening model for hearing loss in school-aged children based on a community-based, retrospective casecontrol study in Ilam, the capital of Ilam province in Iran. Results from the audiologic and non-audiologic examination of 785 children in primary schools were selected and examined. The non-audiologic evaluation consisted of medical history, general physical examination, while the audiologic assessment consisted of otoscopy, audiometry and tympanometry. RESULTS Univariate analysis of non-audiologic variables showed an association between hearing loss and male gender (P<0.05) and the grade of study (P<0.05). The frequency of impaired hearing in the first grade of primary schools was significantly higher than the children in the second grade (P<0.05). In audiologic factors related to impaired hearing, otitis media with effusion (OME) was diagnosed significantly (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Routine screening based on the identification of OME will facilitate the detection of a major amount of hearing impaired school-aged children.