Regarding Dr. John M. Hyson Jr.’s December JADA article, "The Air Turbine and Hearing Loss: Are Dentists at Risk?", the following describes my experience with hearing loss and a development, although not common, worth noting.
Seventeen years ago, I noticed some hearing loss, which I associated with the turbine noise from my dental drill. One of the treatments was irrigation of my affected ear to remove earwax, which was thought to be a factor.
Two years ago, the hearing loss increased. Concomitantly, a slight bout with vertigo, fluorescent light sensitivity and left cheek anesthesia occurred. Only once during this 17-year period was a hearing test recommended and performed.
Two years ago, a conversation with my physician suggested a form of Bell’s palsy. Not being satisfied with the explanation, I had an MRI performed.
The diagnosis was an acoustic neuroma (schwannoma), an eighth cranial nerve benign tumor, 4 centimeters x 3 cm x 1 cm. I learned later, after successful brain surgery, that this tumor is very slow-growing, and that I possibly had had it as long as 15 years, give or take a year or two, and that my initial symptoms may have been tumor development–related.
I am writing this letter to alert JADA readers to the possible relationship between single-sided hearing loss and an eighth cranial nerve tumor connection.
