SoundBite Hearing System by Sonitus Medical: A New Approach to Single-Sided Deafness

ABSTRACT

A new approach (SoundBite Hearing System) for single-sided deafness (SSD) has been developed (Sonitus Medical, San Mateo, CA). It consists of one component that resembles a conventional behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid that wirelessly connects to a second component worn in-the-mouth (ITM) that resembles a conventional dental appliance. The BTE component positions a microphone in the ear canal on the poorer-hearing side to capture the spatial hearing acoustic qualities of a normal ear canal and pinna. The ITM component delivers bone conduction signals via the surfaces of the teeth with an embedded transducer that delivers signals to 12,000 Hz, a much broader frequency bandwidth than existing SSD devices. The signal is transferred to the better-hearing ear via direct bone conduction, but without the need for surgery. An ITM hearing device is safe, comfortable, generally invisible, and easy to insert and remove. The two components use full digital processing with all the advanced functions of contemporary digital hearing aids. Measures of the Hearing in Noise Test on SSD patients (n = 18) indicated a substantial and immediate 2 dB advantage compared to the unaided condition. These results warrant a full multisite clinical trial that is underway and will be completed in 2010.

KEYWORDS

Single-sided deafness - bone conduction - teeth - high frequency

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