Hearing and Hearing Loss in 5-Year-Old Children: Pure-tone Thresholds and the Effect of Acute Otitis Media

Air and bone conduction pure-tone thresholds of 420 unselected urban children were measured with standard clinical audiometry. The mean of air conduction pure-tone averages (average threshold at 0.5. 1 and 2 kHz) was 8.6 dB HL in girls and 8.3 dB HL in boys. In only 5 ears (0.6%), was this average ⩾=35 dB HL. The threshold ⩾35 dB HL at 4 kHz was found in 1.4% of the ears and at 8 kHz in 4.1%. The bone conduction threshold > 20 dB HL at any of the frequencies from 0.5 to 4 kHz was very rare, and only once, at 4 kHz, was it > 35 dB HL. Earlier attacks of acute otitis media seemed to have only a marginal long-term effect on air conduction hearing, and an almost negligible effect on bone conduction hearing.