GAP Australasian Dentist Mar Apr 2020

Category 44 Austràlàsiàn Dentist D ental professionals today have more personal protective equipment and regulations in the office space than ever before, yet one issue has continued to remain ignored; hearing loss. àf hearing loss were officially considered a disability, it would rank as the highest disability class in the world 1 . àt ranks as the second most work related illness/injury and in àew Zealand alone has affected nearly 20% of the population with a yearly cost of approximately $5 billion 16 . Dentists today can directly relate and identify colleagues who have lost significant amounts of hearing in one or both ears, yet what have they done about it? As we all accept greying hair as a result of aging, so too have we accepted the notion that our hearing will slowly fade as we age, but furthermore as a result of the field we work in. However this thinking is flawed; hearing loss, specifically noise-induced hearing loss ( Hà) which plagues our industry, is 100% preventable. Given the option of protecting one of our five senses from permanent and irreversible damage or doing nothing, we have collectively chosen inaction to our detriment, and our governing and regulatory bodies have not taken a clear stance and pushed the use of hearing protection. àhis inaction runs contrary to our credo of being a “preventative” field, and puts us at significant risk, and we should all be very concerned. “àhe inaction runs contrary to our credo of being a “preventative” field, and puts us at significant risk, and we should all be very concerned” Compared to other health profesà sionals, dentists have significantly worse hearing levels 2 . àhis holds true for all ages, gender, and even when compared to the general population 4 . Hà causes permanent damage as early as 10-15 years upon exposure, and studies have shown our hearing capacity to be equivalent to people decades older than our age bracket. One of the biggest reasons Hà affects us so directly is that hearing loss is a cumulative issue over time 9 ; thus while small exposures to damaging sounds for short periods may seem harmless at first, over time it does just as much damage as having a bullet fired next to your ear. àhink about it: we may only spend 25 minutes per patient in the chair using the high speed handpiece, suction and/or ultrasonics, but we do this multiple times each day, all week, and for the average of 35 years in our career. àn fact, over the course of career we spend more hours in the dental environment than anywhere else, and even when outside the office engage in noise rich activities. àhis accumulation of exposure slowly does its damage, and we do not notice the result until it’s too late. àound familiar? We explain this same effect to our patients when it comes to treating caries and infections and are frustrated when they ignore our diagnosis until they return with severe pain and a swollen face; why aren’t we taking our own advice? àhe damaging effects of noise go beyond the ear; exposure to chronic high levels can directly lead to significant systemic health issues like cardiovascular disease and depression 10 . àt reduces our productivity, increases stress, and interferes with communication and concentration. Our body’s response to this insult causes sympathetic and endocrine responses which in turn affects our sleep patterns and ultimately follows a cascade that is a serious detriment to our overall health and well being 2 . Our best counter to this risk is prevention via utilization of hearing protection. Contrary to my own belief, the dental literature has warned us of the serious effects of Hà for decades. àn fact, the American Dental Association published as early as 1974 with the recommendation of using hearing protection in the dental operatory, and since that time endless publications have pointed out the risks and also recommended hearing protection 11,12 . Why have we ignored the warnings? For one, our options in the past were very limited. àraditional foam ear plugs result in muffling of sounds and the inability to communicate with patients and staff; studies show this is the number one reason hearing protection has been avoided 13 . àven newer high tech solutions like noise cancelling headphones are not practical for our environment as they are big, bulky, and again eliminate our ability to communicate. What we need is something small, lightweight, and that can both protect us from the damaging sound levels and high frequency sounds we are exposed to while simultaneously not affecting our ability to hear clearly and communicate with patients and staff. àhis technology simply never existed before, but today is known as active hearing protection 14,15 . àsing a tiny electronic microchip, the high level damaging sounds can be instantly isolated and compressed to lower levels while still maintaining an “open ear” response of 100% clear HD hearing. Our communication remains clear and unaffected, and hearing damage is prevented. With this new technology, we truly have a solution that will address all our concerns and solve our noise exposure issues. u Available at Orien Dental Supplies, www.oriendentalsupplies.com.au , Tel 1300 880 711 Come visit our stand at ADX20, Sydney March 2020, Stand 457 Noise induced hearing loss in dentistry By Dr Sam Shamardi DMD àealtà & wellàeàng Dr Sam Shamardi About the author Dr Sam Shamardi DMD is a periodontal specialist in Boston and a part-time Clinical Instructor at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine Division of Periodontics.