Survival rate of self-tapping implants for bone-anchored hearing aids

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a new self-tapping implant for a bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) had the same high frequency of osseointegration as previous implants requiring pre-tapping. Method: Over a three-year period, 144 consecutive implants were placed in the mastoid for BAHA and evaluated. Results: Two implants were lost; both were of the self-tapping type. One was in an 11-year-old boy, who lost his implant six weeks after surgery when the BAHA was fitted. The other was in an elderly man, a heavy smoker with diabetes. Using Fisher's exact test, there was no significant difference between the two groups (p>0.30). Conclusion: Self-tapping implants facilitate surgery and shorten operating time. Over a short follow up, we did not find any significant difference; however, it is important to follow these implants over a longer time period.