Tuning Forks used for Hearing Tests with Young Children

Research says that approximately 840 children are born death in both ears each year in the United Kingdom. 90% of these children are born into families with no experience or history of childhood deafness. A test known as Rinne's test uses a tuning fork of 256 Hz or 512 Hz, although a heavier tuning fork is preferable. When the fork is struck on the elbow or the knee, it produces a sound of 90 dB. In order to test the air conduction, one would hold the tuning fork directly in line with the external auditory canal. To test the bone conduction, you place the flat end of the stem of the tuning fork against the mastoid process using firm pressure. It is important to hold the patients head steady with your free hand. If the results show that air conduction is louder than bone conduction, it is called Rinne-positive. This test reliably detects a conduction defect with the bone-air gap of at least 30-40 dB, but it is no substitute for pure-tone audiometry.

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