Volume 26, Issue 130, December 2022

Self-ear cleaning practice and the associated ear-related symptoms and injuries among medical students

Waleed Abdulaziz Alhazmi¹, Ahmed M Alshammari², Abdulrahim S Almutairi², Moath K Alshweash², Saif M Alshammari², Hanee M Alrashidi², Abdulmonem A Alsalhi², Ali F Almetrafe², Nasser A Aljazwa²

¹Assistant Professor, Consultant, ENT & Cochlear Implant Surgeon, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia
²Medical Intern, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

Objectives: The study sought to ascertain the prevalence; various methods used for self-ear cleaning practice and identify injuries during self-ear cleaning malpractice among medical students. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study with an online validated questionnaire conducted electronically from January to October 2022 among first, second, third, fourth and fifth-year medical students at Qassim University, including males and females in Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia. The study sample consisted of 386 participants: Males (n=202; 52.3%) and females (n=184; 47.7%). The distribution on the level of education was 1st year (n=85; 22%), 2nd year (n=67; 17.4%), 3rd year (n=81; 21%), 4th year (n=66; 17.1%) and 5th year (n=87; 22.5%). Results: The prevalence of self-ear cleaning practices among medical students is 83.2%, males (78%) and females (89%). The association between self-ear cleaning and experiencing ear or damage to the eardrum had no significant finding (x² (1) = 0.017, p = 0.895). The students in the study acknowledge that they experienced different forms of ear symptoms. In terms of ear symptoms, itching was the most common (32.9%), followed by earache (27.2%) and a feeling of fullness (26.2%). The least frequent symptoms were vertigo (7%) and ear discharge (7.5%). Overall, there were significant differences between the methods used to clean the ears especially ear buds (93%) were the most common method. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that, despite senior medical students' knowledge of medicine, self-ear cleaning still exists. This brings to a close the widespread lack of knowledge regarding how the ear naturally cleans itself. Therefore, the study advises highlighting the requirement for a medical education program on the issues with public health brought on by self-ear cleaning.

Keywords: Self-ear cleaning, Ear symptoms, Wax removal, Hygiene, Cotton buds

Medical Science, 2022, 26, ms573e2660

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi/v26i130/ms573e2660

Published: 30 December 2022