What type of deafness is present if the bone-conducted sound is heard longer than the air-conducted sound?

If bone-conducted (BC) sound is heard longer than air-conducted (AC) sound, it indicates a type of hearing loss known as conductive deafness or conductive hearing loss. This type of hearing loss occurs when there is a problem with the passage of sound waves through the outer ear, tympanic membrane (ear drum), or middle ear, which hinders the efficient transfer of sound to the inner ear. In such cases, sound waves are not effectively transmitted through air to the inner ear, but direct stimulation of the cochlea via bone conduction can still occur relatively normally.

This is typically assessed using a simple hearing test known as the Rinne test, where a vibrating tuning fork is placed first on the mastoid bone (behind the ear) to test bone conduction, and then near the ear canal to test air conduction. Normally, air-conducted sound is heard longer than bone-conducted sound because air conduction is a more efficient way of transporting sound to the cochlea than bone conduction. In conductive hearing loss, because the air conduction pathway is compromised, the bone-conducted sound is perceived for a longer duration, hence indicating a problem in the outer or middle ear.