Taking hearing loss into account at dental practices
Dental professionals
Specialist resource for dental professionals, DentristryiQ recently ran an article on how dental professionals can take into account the different circumstances of people with hearing loss and how to best communicate with them.
The article points out that multiple different conditions may be affecting patients with hearing problems, not just hypoacusis or hyperacusis. These may range from otosclerosis to certain tumors and of course various malformations. Some of these conditions affect sensitivity to sound, more than simply reducing hearing abilities.
Recommendations include greeting every patient face to face, with a smile. According to the article, the initial conversation and taking medical history should help to identify any hearing problems. If this happens, the approach to adopt changes and the practitioner must be careful to ensure that the patient is hearing or understanding sufficiently. Dentists should be sensitive to these issues.
The author of the article, dental hygienist Linda Rowe, BSDH, MS, CDP, has more than 37 years’ experience in the field. She says that practitioners should also be careful about the pitch of their voice because some frequencies are more easily understood than others.
Rowe also recommends keeping a cup available for people to store their BTE hearing aids because they are likely to want to protect them. These devices are costly and patients will be sensitive about taking care of them. Finally, a series of touch cues, agreed on before the hearing devices are removed, can make a significant difference in communication during procedures.
Source: DentristryiQ
