title: Slight conductive hearing loss in children with narrowed maxilla and deep palatal vault.
abstract: PROBLEM/OBJECTIVES: Maxillary constriction and high palatal arch are associated with increased risk of chronic eustachian tube dysfunction and conductive hearing loss (CHL) due to chronic effusion. However, this relationship has not been clearly demonstrated. This study assessed CHL in school children with a narrowed maxilla and deep palatal vault.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-two children with maxillary constriction were randomly selected for the study group and 28 children with normal transverse maxillary development were selected for the control group. Pure-tone audiograms were obtained for all children, and hearing levels and air-bone gaps were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Air-bone gap measurements in the control group ranged from 5.50 to 14.50 decibels (dB), and in the study group they were between 5.00 and 24.00 dB. In the study group, 14 (43.8%) children had slight CHL, and the remaining 18 (56.2%) children had normal hearing levels. In the control group, all of the children had normal hearing levels. Hearing levels and air-bone gaps were greater in the study group than the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed that children with a narrowed maxilla and deep palatal vault may have slight CHL. Therefore, the onset of CHL should be followed with hearing screening programs.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kiki
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kiliç
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oktay
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D001844:Bone Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic; D005260:Female; D006314:Hearing Loss, Conductive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008437:Maxilla / Q000002:abnormalities*