A cross-sectional, clinical and
epidemiological study was undertaken among 627
primary school children (rural 145, urban 482) to compare the common
ear morbidity pattern between an urban
slum of kolkata and a
rural area of Hooghly.
Middle ear pathology was found to be present in 20% and 12.6% among rural and urban
students respectively.
Cerumen in the
external auditory canal was the commonest clinical finding in both the areas and was found to be present in 35.86% of rural and 30.70% of
urban population respectively.
Smoke nuisance, bathing in open
ponds and overcrowding were some of the
predisposing factors causing
ear diseases, like chronic
suppurative otitis media and
serous otitis media.