Tissue-integrated implants in children.

The aim of this study is to present our clinical experience with tissue-integrated extra-oral implants in children. Thirty consecutive cases of children with a total of 59 standard titanium fixtures inserted in the temporal bones and used as bone-anchorage for auricular epistheses (14 cases) and hearing aids (16 cases) were studied. The surgical procedure is performed in two steps and involves an extremely gentle handling of the soft tissue and bone. The patients were followed with regular check-ups for an average of 40 months after hearing aid/prosthesis fitting. The fixture survival rate was 96.6% for the whole group. The hearing aids had a reaction-free skin penetration in 91.67% of the postoperative observations and the prostheses had a reaction-free skin penetration in 75.00% of the postoperative observations. It is concluded that the use of 'osseointegrated', implants in carefully selected cases, in children, appears to be a reliable method for bone anchorage of epistheses and bone conduction hearing aids. A close follow-up and control of this patient category is especially important with respect to the long-term results.