title: Chinese children with nonsyndromic cleft lip/palate: Factors associated with hearing disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined the auditory status of Chinese children with nonsyndromic cleft lip/palate (NSCL/P), investigated factors associated with peripheral hearing loss and compared results with earlier studies in western countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case history profiles and audiological data from 148 Chinese children with NSCL/P, aged between 6 and 15 years, who attended the Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic Center in a major Chinese urban hospital from July 2012 to September 2013 were acquired. The audiological status of the participants was reviewed, based on the results of their pure tone audiometry, tympanometry and acoustic reflex thresholds assessments. Factors including age, gender, cleft type, residential locality and school achievement were examined in relation to auditory status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Findings revealed that 17% of the Chinese children with NSCL/P had hearing impairment at the time of assessment. Unilateral hearing loss was noted in 12% of children and in 5% of cases bilateral hearing loss was noted. In the majority of cases the hearing loss was slight and conductive in nature. Age, gender, residential locality and school achievement were found to have no relationship with severity of hearing loss. Children with cleft lip showed a lower degree of hearing impairment than children with cleft palate or cleft lip and palate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Similar to studies for western children, Chinese children with CL/P associated with no known syndrome are at risk of peripheral hearing loss, generally of conductive type. However, the prevalence of peripheral hearing loss appears to be less than in western children with NSCL/P. Ethnic/racial factors may be a major contributing factor accounting for the discrepancies between the current results and western studies.
authors: Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address: maxiaoran1986@gmail.com.
authors: Xiaoran
authors: X
authors: Ma
authors: Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address: isabelli@connect.hku.hk.
authors: Yue Wing
authors: YW
authors: Li
authors: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Peking University, Beijing, China. Electronic address: lamaiana@163.com.
authors: Lian
authors: L
authors: Ma
authors: Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address: dbmcpher@hku.hk.
authors: Bradley
authors: B
authors: McPherson
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000158:Acoustic Impedance Tests; D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012022:Reflex, Acoustic; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Chinese; Cleft lip; Cleft palate; Hearing loss; Otitis media; Prevalence