PAGD Keystone Explorer Summer 2019

14 www.pagd.org health + wellness Occupational Hearing Loss: What Dentists Need to Know By Jaclyn Bewick, Au.D., CCC-A The safety guidelines for dental professionals consist of some very important protective items: gloves, face masks, eye protection, and lab coats. The one item that does not get addressed during safety protocol training is our hearing. The need to protect hearing is typically a silent matter in the dental industry. As an audiologist, I want to take some time to focus on the importance of recognizing the potential effects of noise exposure in a dental office and how to protect your ears over time. A standard for noise exposure has been developed to regulate hearing protection in noisy work environments. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets the legal limits of noise exposure in the workplace and creates guidelines for safety hearing measures. The Safety Standards and Guidelines by OSHA are based upon a worker’s time (measured in A-weighted decibels, abbreviated dBA) over an 8-hour day. It is important for anyone who works in noise to know that OSHA mandates use of hearing protection if a worker is exposed to noise levels at 85 dBA or above for 8 hours. Also, OSHA’s permissible exposure limit (PEL) in an 8-hour day is 90 dBA. 7 For complete explanation of OSHA Safety Standards and Guidelines, please refer to Table 1.1. Many research studies have argued that estimated noise levels in dental offices do not exceed OSHA standards because equipment is not used on a continual basis. 4,8,9 But even though noise levels do not surpass the OSHA safety standards, prolonged exposure to noise produced in a dental office increases the risk for dental professionals to develop hearing loss later in life. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), noise-induced hearing loss is defined as hearing impairment that results from exposure to loud sound. In particular, sounds can cause damage to our ears when a person is exposed to an intense impulse sound (i.e. explosion) or exposure to loud sounds over a long, extended period of time. 6 In short, cumulative noise exposure can damage your hearing slowly over time. Therefore, it is important to recognize the potential damage to hearing and create an educated practical strategy to protect your ears. OSHA Safety Standards And Guidelines 1. OSHA mandates that a hearing conservation program must be implemented (including use of hearing protection) if a worker is exposed to noise levels at 85 dBA or above for 8 hours. 2. OSHA standard for permissible exposure limit (PEL) is 90 dBA in an 8-hour day with a 5 dBA exchange rate (i.e. When the noise level is increased by 5 dBA, the amount of time a worker can be exposed to the noise level is cut in half). Table 1.1: Full Description of OSHA Safety Standards and Guidelines.