Hearing levels of school children in Dammam.

Eight hundred children were examined clinically and audiometrically at four frequencies in order to evaluate the incidence of hearing loss in school children of Dammam City (Saudi Arabia) and to analyse the aetiological factors and geographical distribution of these hearing-impaired children. This study revealed that 57 (7.12 per cent) children had hearing defects, of whom 53 (92.98 per cent) had conductive, two (3.5 per cent) mixed and two (3.5 per cent) sensorineural deafness. The children had originated from various regions of Saudi Arabia, and the study was able to show a similar distribution of hearing defects throughout the country. Otitis media was found to be the major cause of impaired hearing.