Does Oral Submucous Fibrosis Affect the Hearing Ability of an Individual? A Cross-Sectional Study in North Indian Population

ABSTRACT

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the hearing efficiency of Oral Submucous Fibrosis (OSF) patients using Pure Tone Audiometry (PTA) and to correlate between the hearing efficiency and clinical stage of OSF. Material and Methods: Twenty-five patients clinically diagnosed as OSF were evaluated for hearing loss using 'PTA'. Patients were grouped as mild cases and severe cases. Mild cases comprised of Group A and B, and severe cases comprised of Group C and D. Patients suffering from the previous hearing were excluded from the study. The data were submitted to statistical evaluation using the Chi-square test. The level of significance was set at 5% Results: Out of the total patients, 52.4% were diagnosed as mild cases (Group M) OSF and 47.6% as severe cases (Group S). The analysis of the data of mild cases and severe cases revealed a significant association between advancing stages of OSF and hearing loss (p = 0.026). The cases in Group M after otoscopic evaluation demonstrated no visible ear defect. However, 30% of cases in Group S showed retraction of the tympanic membrane Conclusion: The results indicate an association between stages of OSF and hearing loss. With advancing stages of OSF, there may be involvement of muscles of soft palate namely the levator veli palatine or tensor veli palatine, which may lead to the narrowing of the Eustachian tube leading to a decrease in air conduction demonstrating it as hearing loss of varying degrees depending upon the involvement.