School-Age Hearing Screening Based on Speech-in-Noise Perception Using the Digit Triplet Test

Abstract

The DTT has been implemented as the new hearing screening methodology in the Flemish school-age hearing screening program. Based on the results of this study, pass/fail criteria were determined and optimized to be used for systematic hearing screening of 5E and 3S school children. Furthermore, this study provides reference values for the DTT in children 9 to 16 years of age. Reliable SRTs can be obtained with the test, allowing accurate monitoring of hearing over time. This is important in the context of a screening guideline, which aims to identify children with noise-induced hearing loss. Validation of the screening result should go beyond taking an audiogram, as a peripheral hearing impairment cannot always be found in children with a failed test.