Ototyypit

Ototyypit is a concept used primarily in Finnish-language medical and anthropological literature to describe a typology of ear-related phenotypes. The term combines oto-, meaning ear, with tyypit, types. In practice, ototyypit refer to categorization of both anatomical features of the ear and patterns of auditory function. The classification is typically divided into two broad dimensions: anatomical ototyypit and functional ototyypit. Anatomical ototyypit describe external ear morphology (pinna size and shape, lobule attachment, helix prominence), ear canal dimensions, and middle-ear characteristics that can affect sound transmission. Functional ototyypit describe audiometric profiles and hearing function, such as normal hearing, conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss, and mixed losses, as well as patterns of speech perception in noise.

Context and use: The framework is used mainly for descriptive purposes in research and in epidemiological studies to summarize variation in ear-related traits within populations. It is not a prescriptive clinical diagnosis but a tool to organize observed variation and to investigate associations with genetics, environment, or disease. In clinical practice, traditional categories from audiology and otology (for example, the type of hearing loss) are preferred; ototyypit may supplement these categories in research settings.

See also: Otology, Audiology, Ear morphology.