Determination of conventional and high frequency hearing thresholds of infantry and artillery

It is known that exposure to high volume sound has negative effects on hearing. The degree of these effects that occur with exposure to loud sound is related to the severity of the sound, the duration of the exposure and the frequency range of the sound. Individual characteristics, such as noise sensitivity, age, and previous hearing loss history, are also effective. The negative effects resulting from exposure to loud sounds can be listed as hearing loss and tinnitus. Recurrent acoustic traumas and tinnitus are common in military personnel. The aim of this study is to determine the pure tone auditory thresholds in the artillery and infantry class, which are among the combat classes in the armed forces personnel and to determine the degree of possible hearing loss, as well as to examine whether the time spent in the military has an impact on the results. This study included 35 infantry, 30 artillery and 43 controls. Hearing thresholds at 125, 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, 6000, 8000, 10000, 12500, 14000, 16000 Hz frequencies were measured by conventional and high frequency pure tone audiometry. The left ear thresholds at 125 Hz, 250 Hz, 14000 Hz frequencies in the infantry group were significantly higher than the right ear thresholds (p <0.05). In the artillery group, right ear thresholds at 125 Hz, 250 Hz, 16000 Hz frequencies were significantly higher than left ear thresholds (p <0.05). At frequencies between 4000 Hz and 12500 Hz, there was a significant difference between all groups, with the highest thresholds in the artillery group and the lowest thresholds in the control group (p <0.05). No significant difference was found between the artillery and infantry classes at 14000 Hz and 16000 Hz frequencies, but both groups were significantly higher than the control group (p <0.05). In conclusion, impulsive noise can be interrelated with higher pure tone thresholds at some frequencies in both infantry and artillery classes. It was detected that left ear was affected more in infantry group and the right ear was affected more in artillery group. Implementation of a hearing protection program and promotion of personal protective equipment use in the Turkish Armed Forces might reduce negative effects of impulsive noise.