The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics
2011 , Vol 53 , Num 5
A Study of the Prevalence of Developmental Anomalies of the External Ear among Preschool Children in Sivas, Turkey
Departments of 1Otolaryngology, and 2Public Health, Cumhuriyet University Faculty of Medicine, Sivas, and 3Department
of Otolaryngology, City Hospital, Diyarbakır, Turkey
The objective of the current study was to detect the prevalence of developmental
anomalies of the external ear among children between aged 4-6 years old in
Sivas, Turkey. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,096 preschool
children. Among the 1,096 children examined, 8 had accessory auricle, and
prevalence of the anomaly was calculated at 0.7%. Fifty-one prominent ear
deformities (4.6%) were detected among the children. One limitation of the
study is that the prevalence of developmental anomalies of the external ear
may have been underestimated. In fact, such surveys should be conducted
on large random or stratified samples of entire populations. Thus, the true
prevalence could be slightly higher, and the apparent difference may not be
a racial one.
Keywords :
protruding ear, accessory auricle, prevalence, preschool children.