Effect of Using N95 and Surgical Masks on Otoacoustic Emission in Cochlear Outer Hair Cells

Introduction: Distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) was measured to investigate the effect of mask use and type on oxygen saturation on cochlear function in health care professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods: Group 1 participants wore surgical masks; Group 2 participants wore N95 masks. Distortion product otoacoustic emission and oxygen saturation were measured in both groups before and after mask use. Results: Comparison of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) values before and after surgical mask use in DPOAE measurements of group 1 revealed statistically significant difference in the right and left ears. Comparison of the SNR values in DPOAE measurements of group 2 before and after 8 hours of N95 mask use revealed statistically significant differences in the right ear at 988, 2963, 4444, and 8000 Hz and in the left ear at 8000 Hz. Conclusion: We found that prolonged mask use may affect the outer hair cells in the cochlea, causing deterioration in DPOAE values.