Outcomes of teachers away from work forvoicedisorders, State Secretariat of Education, Federal District, 2009-2010.

Background: Voice is an important working tool for teachers. These professionals are often forced to stay away from work due to voice disorders, resulting in high frequency of sick leaves, function restriction and professional readjustment.

Objective: Toevaluate the epidemiological profile of teacher absenteeism due to voice disorders and the impact of dysphonia on reduction of work activities, function restriction and professional readjustment.

Methods: A retrospective study of teachers away from work for more than 30 days was performed from January 2009 to December 2010 based on data collected from medical records at State Secretariat of Education, Federal District, Brazil.

Results: A total of 153 teachers away from work due to dysphonia were analyzed. The highest prevalence of voice disorders corresponded to women (96.7%). Vocal nodules were the most prevalent diagnosis, corresponding to 40% of the vocal lesions. The average time away from work was 120 days. About 55% of the teachers on sick leave were indicated function restriction and remained in that condition for 166 days, on average. In total, 25.5% of the teachers needed professional readjustment, and 73.8% were able to return to the classroom.

Conclusion: Voice disorders are a frequent cause of sick leaves, resulting in high annual costs. Preventive measures and vocal orientation might significantly reduce the number of teachers with function restriction or requiring readjustment.