Audiological implications of earplugs used for the prevention of aural exostoses

Abstract

External auditory canal exostoses may be a preventable disease, so it is surprising that the regular use of water precautions is not greater among surfers. One reason for this is the impairment of hearing whilst wearing earplugs. The objective of this study is to establish the hearing impairment of commonly available earplugs used by surfers. Staff and patients with normal hearing were recruited to have pure tone audiometry performed multiple times, initially with no earplugs, and subsequently with earplugs. Three earplug types were tested which differed in their nature and material (prefabricated elastomer, custom-fitted silicone, and custom-fitted acrylic). Vented and non-vented forms of the earplugs were tested. 30 normal hearing ears were included. Two-tailed paired t-tests comparing hearing thresholds between different earplugs identified that the elastomer earplugs caused the least hearing impairment (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in hearing thresholds between vented and non-vented elastomer earplugs (p = 0.148), but the difference between vented and non-vented forms of other earplugs was statistically significant (silicone p = 0.010, acrylic p = 0.018). Prefabricated ear plugs produce less hearing impairment than other commonly available earplugs. A customised earplug made of hard material causes the greatest impairment of hearing. We therefore recommend that for aquatic sports where hearing is important, a soft prefabricated earplug is preferable.

Prevalencia de la exóstosis del conducto auditivo externo entre practicantes de surf y bodyboard en la costa central de Chile

“…Este hecho llama la atención dada la evidencia de que el uso de tapones sería el método más eficiente para aislar a los conductos auditivos de la exposición al frío, logrando evitar el desarrollo de ECAE (Lambert et al, 2021). Una posible explicación acerca del bajo porcentaje de practicantes que usan protecciones la otorga Srinivasan et al (2012), quienes mencionan que los deportistas refieren que el uso de protectores auditivos disminuye la audición, y junto con ello traen alteraciones en la orientación espacial. Así, el alto porcentaje de practicantes que no utilizan protección en este estudio podría deberse al temor de disminuir la percepción de los sonidos naturales del medio para orientarse o bien por desconocimiento de los efectos de uso y no uso de protecciones durante la práctica de surf.…”

What do windsurfers and kitesurfers in Germany know about surfer's ear and how is it influenced by protective measures?

“…Requirements for earplugs include a good fit to the external auditory canal, comfortable wearability, affordability, and low impact on hearing and balance. 38 The individual anatomy of the external auditory canal can affect the fit of the earplug and thus the comfort and seal, which is why customised silicone products are also used. 39 In a study by Laitakari et al , 40 earplugs made of mouldable plastic materials (e.g.…”