Introduction:
The human body balance is regulated by sensory activity of the vestibular system, located in the inner ear. Children with sensorineural hearing loss may show changes in the vestibular system and, consequently, body balance disorders, probably due to damage in the inner ear.
Objectives:
To evaluate the dynamic balance in students who hear and those who have sensorineural hearing loss and to compare data between groups considering the sex and age groups.
Methods:
Cross-sectional study, which evaluated 96 school children. 48 listeners and 48 with sensorineural hearing loss, of both sexes aged between seven to 18 years. The dynamic balance evaluation was performed using the Babinski-Weil test and Fukuda test. For data analysis the Pearson chi-square test with a view to distribution data normality was used.
Results:
The students with hearing loss had more changes in dynamic balance compared to listeners: Babinski-Weil test and Fukuda test: (p<0.001). The same difference was found when subjects were grouped by the gender: male and female: Babinski-Weil test and Fukuda test: (p<0.001). Stratifying by the age groups, the results showed differences among all age groups evaluated: Babinski-Weil test: seven to 14 years: (p<0.001) and 15-18 years: (p= 0.004). Fukuda test: seven to 18 years: (p<0.001).
Conclusion:
Students with hearing loss had higher dynamic balance changes than listeners of the same sex and age.
child behavior; motor skills; psychomotor performance; postural balance; deafness