Acute effects of inhaling Oud incense on voice of Saudi adults

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Like in most of the Arab countries, incense burning, including Oud, is widely used in Saudi Arabia. The widespread effects of the Oud incense on voice have not been examined. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the short-term effects of Oud incense on laryngeal symptoms and voice acoustics in normal Saudi adults. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: A prospective study that has been carried out at King Abdulaziz University Hospital between July 2012 and Jan 2014. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Study subjects were recruited on a volunteer basis. A total of 72 adults (44.4% males and 55.6 % females), were exposed to Oud incense smoke for 5 minutes while sitting 1 m away from an electrical sensor in a closed room. Symptom and acoustic voice analyses were performed pre-exposure and immediately post-exposure. RESULTS: A total of 27.8% of the subjects reported throat and voice symptoms after 5 minutes of exposure. Some frequency-related acoustic measures increased in male and female subjects after exposure to Oud incense. However, the difference between the pre- and post-exposure measures was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: One third of the study subjects reported voice-related symptoms following exposure to Oud incense. Despite the absence of statistical significant difference, some frequency-based acoustic parameters increased following exposure to Oud incense smoke.