PURPOSE: To verify the influence of the period of amplification use over the benefit obtained with hearing aids for new users, and to compare the results of users of linear and non linear amplification with dynamic compression. METHODS: Thirty-seven individuals with mild to moderate-severe sensorineural hearing loss who were new users of hearing aids were examined. Individuals were gathered in two groups: Linear Group - comprising 13 individuals with linear amplification fitting; and Non Linear Group - comprising 24 individuals with dynamic compression fitting. Evaluations were carried out 14 and 90 days after hearing aids fitting, in sound field. The sentence recognition threshold was obtained both in silence and in noise, as well as the percentual indexes of sentences recognition. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon and the Mann-Whitney tests. RESULTS: The values obtained after 14 and 90 days of amplification use, for both groups, did not show significant differences. The values also did not reveal any differences when the groups were compared. CONCLUSION: It was not found any influences of the period of amplification use over the benefit obtained from hearing aids. There were no differences between the results achieved by new users of linear amplification and those of new users of non linear amplification.
Hearing; Hearing loss, sensorineural; Hearing aids; Audiometry, speech; Speech discrimination tests
