This study will evaluate a hypothetical association between tooth loss and age-related hearing loss in health male adults. The underlying hypothesis is that adults who retain a significant number of their natural teeth at defined levels of tooth and periodontal integrity have better hearing acuity when compared to the edentulous cohort. The rationale for the association is based on studies that suggest that the processing of orofacial and auditory sensory information are not independent, but rather interactive. This study will analyze the 20-year follow-up data from the Veterans Affairs' Normative Aging (NAS) and Dental Longitudinal (DLS) Studies on a cohort of approximately 1,231 community-dwelling males between the ages of 21 and 20 in Boston, MA area. The NAS biomedical data were collected at triennial physical examinations. Results from pure-tone audiograms, the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly, speech-discrimination tests, and information on potential risk factors for hearing loss will be used to screen and exclude subjects with any identifiable pathological cause of hearing impairment. The method of ISO 7029 (1984) for presbycusis will be employed to adjustment for the individual's hearing threshold level in relation to age. The dependent variables for this study will be will be the hearing loss, measured in decibel hearing level (dB HL), at each standard frequency tested; the main exposure variables will be the dentate status of the subjects (dentate versus edentulous) and the number of teeth lost of per person per year. Clinical and radiographic data collected at the DLS oral examinations will provide indices and measures of oral conditions that may be predictive of hearing loss in middle-aged and older adults. Correlations, multiple regression, and survival analyses will be statistical methods used to analyze the temporal changes in hearing acuity for each subject along with potential oral risk factors. If an association is found between dentate status, or the number of missing teeth and hearing acuity, a future intervention study will be designed to determine whether hearing could be improved via better maintenance of the dentition or replacement with dental implants.
| Lam, D K; Lawrence, H P; Tenenbaum, H C (2001) Aural symptoms in temporomandibular disorder patients attending a craniofacial pain unit. J Orofac Pain 15:146-57 |
| Lawrence, H P; Garcia, R I; Essick, G K et al. (2001) A longitudinal study of the association between tooth loss and age-related hearing loss. Spec Care Dentist 21:129-40 |
