P300 in workers exposed to occupational noise

The harm upon the central auditory pathways of workers exposed to occupational noise has been scarcely studied.ObjectiveTo assess the central auditory pathways by testing the long latency auditory evoked potentials (P300) of individuals exposed to occupational noise and controls.MethodThis prospective study enrolled 25 individuals with normal hearing thresholds. The subjects were divided into two groups: individuals exposed to occupational noise (13 subjects; case group) and individuals not exposed to occupational noise (12 subjects; control group). The P300 test was used with verbal and non-verbal stimuli.ResultsNo statistically significant differences were found between ears for any of the stimuli or between groups. The groups had no statistically significant difference for verbal or non-verbal stimuli. Case group subjects had longer latencies than controls. In qualitative analysis, a greater number of altered P300 test results for verbal and non-verbal stimuli was seen in the case group, despite the absence of statistically significant differences between case and control subjects.ConclusionIndividuals exposed to high sound pressure levels had longer P300 latencies in verbal and non-verbal stimuli when compared to controls.