Vocal teacher production condition in differents functional situations

PURPOSE: to verify if teachers with less vocal use due to reduced workload have fewer complaints of vocal disorders and better environmental and organizational working conditions. METHODS: 46 teachers of both genders, with a mean age of 39.5 years old, and 15 years of career length participated in this study. The individuals were divided into group A, public school teachers with exclusive dedication to a single school and regulated workload; group B, public school teachers with elevated workload working in many schools. All subjects were submitted to the following instruments: Condition of Vocal Production-Teacher and the Screening Index for Voice Disorder. RESULTS: group B teachers presented voice disorder (5.21; p=0.02) and greater complaints regarding acoustic conditions (p=0.04), temperature (p=0,04), humidity (p=0.01), lighting (p=0.001), cleanliness (p=0.01), and didactic materials (p<0.0001). Habits of screaming (p=0.02), speaking in an open place (p=0,02), and vocal orientations (p=0.01) also had a statistically significant difference. CONCLUSION: Teachers working in elementary and high school belonging to the group of exclusive dedication to a single school, with reduced weekly classroom hours and less vocal exposure had fewer complaints of voice disorders, better environmental and organizational conditions, and reported screaming less at work.