Osseointegrated implants in children

Abstract

This study was undertaken on 86 children aged 15 years or lower scheduled for installation of osseointegrated implants. Of these, 64 had implants installed for bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHA) or epistheses. The main indication for implant installation was a bilateral ear malformation. Surgery was generally performed as a two-stage procedure with a healing time of 3-4 months in between. Available bone thickness averaged 2.5 mm, and lack of bone necessitated bone augmentation in 12 patients. Forty-five percent of the implants were installed in contact with the dura, sigmoid sinus or an air cell. Of 129 installed fixtures, 6.2% were implant failures. Adverse skin reactions appeared in 7.6% of patients over a 17-year follow-up period. Revision surgery was undertaken in 30% of patients due to appositional growth of the temporal bone. It is concluded that implant failures and skin reactions in this population are comparable to those in an adult group of implant patients, whereas revision surgery is more common in children. Nevertheless, osseointegrated implants can be used with good functional and aesthetic outcome in children.