title: Systematic analysis of the benefits of cochlear implants on voice production.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To perform a systematic analysis of the research regarding vocal characteristics of hearing impaired children or adults with cochlear implants.
  
  
  METHODS
  A literature search was conducted in the databases Web of Science, Bireme, and Universidade de São Paulo's and CAPES' thesis and dissertations databases using the keywords voice, voice quality, and cochlear implantation, and their respective correspondents in Brazilian Portuguese.
  
  
  METHODS
  The selection criteria included: title consistent with the purpose of this review; participants necessarily being children or adults with severe to profound pre-lingual or post-lingual hearing loss using cochlear implants; and data regarding participants' performance on perception and/or acoustic analysis of the voice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty seven papers were classified according to the levels of evidence and quality indicators recommended by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The designs of the studies were considered of low and medium levels of evidence. Six papers were classified as IIb, 20 as III, and one as IV.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The voice of hearing impaired children and adults with cochlear implants has been little studied. There is not an effective number of studies with high evidence levels which precisely show the effects of the cochlear implantation on the quality of voice of these individuals.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program (Master's degree) in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, Bauru School of Dentistry, Universidade de São Paulo, Bauru, SP, Brazil. anacrisccoelho@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Ana Cristina
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Coelho
authors.forename: Alcione Ghedini
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Brasolotto
authors.forename: Maria Cecília
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Bevilacqua
mesh_terms: D003054:Cochlear Implants; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000379:methods; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D010699:Phonation; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D014833:Voice Quality