Osseointegration and its role in management of hearing loss

Osseointegration is a biological process by which a structural connection is created between living bone and the surface of a load-carrying implant. This phenomenon has been used in a range of medical interventions. In 1977, Tjellstrom reported on osseointegrated bone-anchored hearing device as an alternative to conventional bone-conducting hearing aids, which were required to be worn on a headband or a pair of glasses. Since that time, there has been significant development in surgical technique and device technology for bone-anchored hearing devices. A review of the current literature was conducted to describe these advancements and provide an up-to-date summary of the usage of osseointegrated bone-anchored hearing device in the management of hearing loss.