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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the difference in hearing between a group of steelband musicians (pannists) and a control group.

DESIGN, SETTINGS, AND SUBJECTS: We conducted a controlled cross-sectional pilot study consisting of 29 steelpan players and 30 control subjects from a steelpan orchestra (steelband) in the Otolaryngology Department of the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex.

RESULTS: Significantly more steelpan players had a hearing loss than the control subjects at 3000 Hz, 4000 Hz, and 6000 Hz (P < 0.01). χ² testing for trend demonstrated that the longer a steelpan player played his instrument the greater the hearing loss.

CONCLUSION: These results indicate that pannists suffer permanent auditory damage from high-in-tensity sound levels and that preventative measures are required to prevent this hearing loss, particularly in younger players.

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Hearing Loss in Steelband Musicians

Abstract

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