Introduction and objective:

Loss of hearing ability due to exposure to noise in the workplace is a public health problem that constitutes the third cause of disability worldwide due to occupational exposure. In the dental area, personnel are exposed to the noise of the instruments used in clinical procedures, which can lead to noise-induced hearing loss. To evaluate the hearing capacity of students from a dental school in Colombia.

Materials and methods:

An analytical cross-sectional study was carried out in dental students from sixth to tenth semester; the participants' information was obtained through a self-filled survey and clinical audiological evaluation. The database was consolidated in Microsoft Excel and exported to the STATA 14.0 program where the information was processed. The analysis plan included description of the data using mean and standard deviation (quantitative data) and absolute and relative frequencies (qualitative data) which are accompanied by 95% confidence intervals. Bivariate analysis was performed with Fisher's exact test and Chi square test, as well as Student's t-test and ANOVA.

Results:

A hearing loss of 77.8% was evident for the right ear and 76.2% for the left ear.

Conclusion:

Dental students presented alteration in their hearing ability. Age and academic semester are associated with loss of hearing ability.

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