A prosthetic outer ear not only improves the appearance of a damaged ear but also hearing and speech recognition in a noisy environment.
A prosthetic outer ear not only improves the appearance of a damaged ear but also hearing and speech recognition in a noisy environment.
Researchers from America conducted a study in two parts on 11 participants with a prosthetic outer ear, one to examine the effects of an auricular prosthesis on sound levels at the entrance of the ear canal and the other to determine the effect of prosthesis on speech recognition in a noisy environment. Speech recognition was tested in the participants using certain test (unmodified Hearing in Noise Test and the Modified Hearing in Noise Test). The researchers first used 8 different silicone rubber ear prosthesis with a hole in the plastic foam head, which were drilled through the ear. A microphone placed at the entrance of the ear canal measured sound pressure levels with and without the ear prosthesis while the head was rotated 360 degrees in 30-degree increments.
It was found that, on average, the prosthetic ears improved the sound pickup by 8 decibels when the frequency of the sound was 5 kilohertz, and 10 decibels when the frequency was 10 kilohertz. In the second modified test, subjects plugged their left ears and sat in front of two speakers, one playing normal speech and one playing white noise. The sound level of the speech was increased by one decibel at a time until all of the sentences in the speech test were understood. The trial was then repeated with the prosthesis over the right ear. The benefits of this level of improvement were demonstrated in part two of the study in, which 11 English-speaking young adults with normal hearing took two versions of a speech test.
The findings revealed that prostheses significantly improved the average ratio of speech to noise at which all sentences were understood. The outer ear prostheses provided an acoustic gain at certain head positions and frequencies, and this acoustic gain is clinically relevant because it benefits speech recognition in noisy environments. It was concluded by the researchers that auricular prostheses not only restore aesthetics but also improve hearing.
Researchers from America conducted a study in two parts on 11 participants with a prosthetic outer ear, one to examine the effects of an auricular prosthesis on sound levels at the entrance of the ear canal and the other to determine the effect of prosthesis on speech recognition in a noisy environment. Speech recognition was tested in the participants using certain test (unmodified Hearing in Noise Test and the Modified Hearing in Noise Test). The researchers first used 8 different silicone rubber ear prosthesis with a hole in the plastic foam head, which were drilled through the ear. A microphone placed at the entrance of the ear canal measured sound pressure levels with and without the ear prosthesis while the head was rotated 360 degrees in 30-degree increments.
It was found that, on average, the prosthetic ears improved the sound pickup by 8 decibels when the frequency of the sound was 5 kilohertz, and 10 decibels when the frequency was 10 kilohertz. In the second modified test, subjects plugged their left ears and sat in front of two speakers, one playing normal speech and one playing white noise. The sound level of the speech was increased by one decibel at a time until all of the sentences in the speech test were understood. The trial was then repeated with the prosthesis over the right ear. The benefits of this level of improvement were demonstrated in part two of the study in, which 11 English-speaking young adults with normal hearing took two versions of a speech test.
The findings revealed that prostheses significantly improved the average ratio of speech to noise at which all sentences were understood. The outer ear prostheses provided an acoustic gain at certain head positions and frequencies, and this acoustic gain is clinically relevant because it benefits speech recognition in noisy environments. It was concluded by the researchers that auricular prostheses not only restore aesthetics but also improve hearing.
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