Objective A prospective randomised study was undertaken to compare the results of type 1 tympanoplasty with and without middle-ear packing with gelfoam. Method Eighty patients undergoing type 1 tympanoplasty were randomised into two groups according to packing in the middle ear: with gelfoam and without gelfoam. The data in terms of graft uptake rate, hearing gain and subjective improvement were analysed at one and three months. Results The graft uptake rate between both groups did not show a statistically significant difference. There was conductive hearing loss in the gelfoam group in the early post-operative period. Subjectively, patients were more comfortable with respect to heaviness and hearing gain than in the non-gelfoam group. Conclusion Gelfoam use in middle-ear packing is not an essential step and causes more discomfort in patients during the early post-operative period. It should be a surgeon's choice to use it when and where it is necessary.

Background: The study was aimed at investigating the knowledge of awareness of hearing health, risk factors causing hearing loss and preventive measures for hearing disability at natal stages and awareness regarding the intervention among the pregnant women and mothers of newborn in urban area i.e. in Bhubaneswar.Methods: 53 pregnant women and 103 mothers of newborn had participated in the present study and were agreed to provide their awareness regarding the questionnaire related to selected parameters their responses were scored and documented for the statistics.Results: Results indicates that mothers were more aware of the selected parameters like risk factors during natal stages, intervention as compared to pregnant women. Mothers (66.01%) and pregnant women (56.22%) were more aware of prenatal risk factors as compared to peri and postnatal. Almost 60% of total participants were aware of hearing health and intervention for hearing loss. Two-way ANOVA was computed. p<0.0001, indicates statistically significant difference between the selected parameters i.e. awareness of hearing health and intervention and awareness of risk factors and prevention for hearing impairment at natal stages. Post hoc analysis (using unpaired t test by applying Bonferroni correction) suggestive of statistically significant difference of selected parameters from each other among pregnant women and mothers with p=0.0002.Conclusions: It is very much important to utilize the existing knowledge of the grass root level people like mothers and pregnant women by acquiring their ideas and information regarding the awareness of occurrence of hearing impairment in children which can be done only by spreading adequate information regarding hearing disability.