title: Preliminary comparison of bone-anchored hearing instruments and a dental device as treatments for unilateral hearing loss.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the effectiveness of two types of treatment for unilateral hearing loss (UHL), bone-anchored hearing instruments (BAHI) and a dental device (SoundBite).
  
  
  METHODS
  Either BAHI or SoundBite were worn for 30 days, and then the devices were swapped and the second device was worn for 30 days. Measures included unaided and aided sound-field thresholds, sound localization, and perception of speech in babble. The APHAB questionnaire was administered for each trial period.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine adult BAHI wearers with UHL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mid-frequency aided thresholds were lower for SoundBite than for BAHI. Both devices gave benefits for localization after 30 days, but there was no difference between devices. Speech perception was better for both devices than for unaided listening when the target speech came from the poorer hearing side or in front, and the interfering babble came from the better-hearing side. There was no consistent difference between devices. APHAB scores were better for SoundBite than for BAHI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Speech perception and sound localization were similar for the two types of device, but the SoundBite led to lower aided thresholds and better APHAB scores than the BAHI.
authors.affiliation: * Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge , UK.
authors.forename: Brian C J
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Gerald R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Popelka
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001302:Audiometry, Speech; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D001844:Bone Conduction; D012048:Correction of Hearing Impairment / Q000295:instrumentation*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004867:Equipment Design; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006310:Hearing Aids; D046088:Hearing Loss, Unilateral / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D013017:Sound Localization; D013067:Speech Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires