Is the Voice of Professional Voice Users With no Vocal Cord Lesions Similar to That of Non Professional Voice Users?

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to analyze if the voice of professional voice users (PVU) is comparable with that of a nonprofessional voice users (NPVUs), both of whom have no obvious vocal cord lesions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty professional and 50 NPVUs with no obvious vocal fold pathologies underwent voice analysis and videostroboscopic study, and various parameters were analyzed.

RESULTS: Majority of the participants were found to be less than 40 years. Teachers formed the largest group (40%) of PVUs. PVUs had a significantly higher incidence of voice-related complaints compared with NPVUs. The former group also showed a higher deviation from the normative data. A significant influence of gender and the duration of work experience was also observed among PVUs.

CONCLUSIONS: The voice of an apparently normal PVU is not similar to that of an apparently normal NPVU. Female PVUs and PVUs with a longer duration of work experience show the highest deviation from normative data.