Speech recognition thresholds in noisy areas: reference values for normal hearing adults.

Unlabelled: In audiology clinics, complaints about difficulties in speech recognition in noise environments are frequent, even for normal-hearing individuals. Thus, the audiologist must not only identify a hearing loss, but also analyze speech recognition, under noisy conditions similar to those found in our daily lives.

Aim: Determine the reference value for the recognition of phrases under noisy conditions, in the free field, for adult normal hearing patients.

Materials And Methods: This study was carried out in 2005 and 2006. We had 150 adult normal hearing individuals participating, with ages between 18 and 64 years, assessed in a sound-proof booth. We evaluation was based on lists of phrases in Portuguese. The phrases lists were presented in the free field, in the presence of a competitive noise, at the fixed intensity of 65 dB H. The incidence angle of both stimuli was 0 masculine- 0 masculine azimuth.

Results And Conclusion: The phrases recognition thresholds in the free fields were obtained in the signal to noise ratio of -8.14 dB H, which is the reference value for normal hearing individuals.