BACKGROUND: Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) children have difficulty living and limited movement due to impaired vestibular function and reduced balance ability. OBJECTIVES: The present study evaluated the effects of Latin dance training on the vestibular function and balance of SNHL children. METHODS: Thirty SNHL children with no difference in vestibular function and balance ability were randomly divided into two groups, the Latin dance training group (LTG, n = 15) and the control group (CONG, n = 15). Vestibular function, timed eyes-closed static (ECS) and functional reach test (FRT) were measured before and after the intervention, and a two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance was performed. RESULTS: After training, the vestibular function performance of LTG was higher than that of CONG (CONG: 16.425 +/- 3.616 versus LTG: 12.241 +/- 2.610, p = 0.0411, ES 1.3914), the left foot ECS performance of LTG was higher than that of CONG (CONG: 2.765 +/- 0.872 versus LTG: 4.688 +/- 1.113, p = 0.0026, ES 1.9857), the right foot ECS performance of LTG was higher than that of CONG (CONG: 3.113 +/- 0.639 versus LTG: 4.797 +/- 1.071, p = 0.0137, ES 2.01), the FRT performance of LTG was higher than that of CONG (CONG: 32.009 +/- 6.134 versus LTG: 43.797 +/- 6.616, p = 0.0021, ES 1.9135). CONCLUSIONS: After Latin dance training, SNHL children improved vestibular function and balance. The static balance ability of the left foot has been improved significantly than right foot.

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