Self-Ear Cleaning Practice And The Associated Risk Of Ear Injuries And Ear-Related Symptoms In Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Introduction: Most people who self-clean their ears believe that removing excessive earwax is crucial for maintaining good ear health. Overcleaning could lacerate the ear canal's epidermal lining, which could lead to infection, discomfort, and a disruption of normal physiological function. Self-ear cleaning has not been thoroughly investigated yet in Saudi Arabia when concerning the risk of ear injuries and symptoms among the public. This research aims to determine the prevalence of self-ear cleaning in Saudi Arabian society as well as the associated hazards. Methods: The relevant data were gathered from January to March 2022 through an online survey using a cross-sectional approach. Moreover, respondents must meet specific criteria including minimum age of 18 years old and residing in Saudi Arabia. Ethical approval and consent were taken before using a prepared questionnaire which was built on prior research. A descriptive analysis based on the frequency and percentage distribution was performed for each variable including participants’ biographical data. The use of two-tailed tests was applied to all statistical analyses and a P-value of 0.05 was considered significant. Additionally, chi-square tests were utilized to compare several categorical variables. Results: A total of 450 individuals have completed the study questionnaire. 194 people (43.1%) believed that self-ear cleaning is a useful method while 109 people (24.2%) believe it is bad. The most often reported technique for cleaning ears was using a cotton bud (65.2%). Furthermore, cleaning is done every day by 27.6% of men as opposed to 19.8% of women (P =0.001). Lastly, 65.4% of participants in the 18 to 20 age group consider self-ear cleaning as advantageous behavior. Conclusion: Most participants clean their ears by themselves once a week. Self-ear cleaning is common among young adults, which raises the risk of ear damage and related symptoms. Having health education, public awareness, and training programs are appropriate to limit the possibility of ear injuries.