Dysphonia Prevalence and Its Relationship With Risk Factors Among Teachers

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the prevalence of and risk factors for dysphonia among teachers. Materials and methods: According to the questionnaire results of 167 teachers, 87 teachers who described dysphonia were included in the patient group and 80 teachers who did not describe dysphonia were included in the control group. For both groups, statistical evaluations were performed using non-parametric statistical methods. Results: 87 (52.1%) of 167 teachers included in the study had the complaint of dysphonia. The presence of laryngopharyngeal reflux and allergic diseases caused increase in the risk of dysphonia. The risk of dysphonia was also increased with increasing stage of education that the teachers were responsible for. Laryngeal endoscopy revealed no organic lesion in 65.5% of the patients, whereas showed laryngopharyngeal reflux findings in 26.4%, vocal cord nodule in 6.8% and vocal cord polyp in 1.1%. Conclusion: This study showed that dysphonia is a common disorder among teachers and while evaluating these subjects the presence of laryngopharyngeal reflux and allergic diseases should primarily be considered. © 2025, Pamukkale University. All rights reserved.