Is Noise From Suctioning Harmful to Surgeons' Hearing?

PURPOSE: A growing concern in the community of oral and maxillofacial surgeons (OMSs) is the progressive hearing loss that has become more evident in older surgeons. Very few studies have focused on the effects on a surgeon's hearing based on his or her environment. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the noise produced by suction, compared with federal guidelines, could have a damaging effect on the hearing of OMSs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A CEM DT-8851 industrial high-accuracy digital sound noise level meter data logger (CEM Instruments, Bengal, India) was used to capture the sound intensities in various procedures. The sound meter was used to record the intensities of sound produced, in decibels, in clinics and operating rooms. The analysis was divided into different variables: non-drilling/suction (in which neither a drill nor suction was used but suction was on), suction, drilling, suction and drilling, suction and irrigation, and Yankauer suction. RESULTS: A total of 50 clinic and 50 operating room procedures were recorded, focusing on suction. The noise intensities captured were analyzed based on federal workplace standards. Compared with non-drilling/suction, all other noise exposures on average were greater in intensity and statistically significant with P < .0001. Both the maximum and minimum intensity recorded occurred during non-drilling/suction periods. Noise intensities exceeded 85 dB only 0.04% of the time. CONCLUSIONS: The hypothesis that suction noise intensity would exceed federal guidelines was not supported and therefore was not accepted. However, it cannot conclusively be said that surgeons are not experiencing hearing loss due to their work-related noise exposure. The extent to which OMSs are exposed to this type of setting could be the cause of their progressive hearing loss because federal guidelines are based on 8-hour workdays and 16 hours of being in a quiet environment. A longitudinal study observing specific surgeons through a substantial period would perhaps be able to give more definitive results.