INTRODUCTION: Long work hours and a lack of knowledge regarding proper vocal techniques can lead to dystonia among teachers. Such voice disorders limit the teachers' ability to convey their message to the students and may even compromise the quality of their teaching. (BATTISTI, 2002) OBJECTIVE: To analyze the Voice Handicap Index of public school teachers in the city of Lapa, Pr. METHODOLOGY: This study was conducted using the Voice Handicap Index protocol (VHI) formulated by Jacobson et al. (1997), validated for the Portuguese as Ãndice de Desvantagem Vocal (IDV), and then translated into Portuguese by Santos, Gasparini and Behlau (2007). This protocol is the gold standard for assessing voice quality. It was first developed in the United States and has since been validated in nearly 20 countries. The subject is asked to grade three aspects of his vocal status: functional, organic and emotional. The associated numeric scores are used to generate an index for the self-assessment of vocal ability. The participants in this study were 74 teachers (mean age, 39.5 years) and 50 non-teachers (mean age, 44 years) employed at the same schools. RESULTS: The results indicated that teachers are 2 times (Odds Ratio = 1.93) more likely to develop vocal problems related to organic factors than non-teachers. CONCLUSION: The findings showed that most of the vocal symptoms reported by teachers are directly related to organic problems, which concern the anatomo-physiological aspects of phonation. These issues had a significant impact on the voice quality of the teachers surveyed. Keywords: Voice Handicap Index; Professional Voice; Teachers.
