Bilateral Implant-Retained Auricular Prosthesis for a Patient with Congenitally Missing Ears. A Clinical Report

Microtia is a major congenital anomaly of the external ear. It includes a spectrum of deformities from a grossly normal but small ear to the absence of the entire external ear. These deformities account for three in every 10,000 births, with bilaterally missing ears seen in fewer than 10% of all cases. Congenital abnormalities of the ear are unlikely to result in the complete absence of the ears, but the patient presented in this article had bilateral congenitally missing ears. There was loss of anatomic landmarks and alteration of normal bony architecture. Minimal tissue was available for retention; therefore, conventional techniques could not be used for achieving retention. A two-implant-supported auricular prosthesis was planned, but the patient was found to have deficient bone in the implant site. Hence the implants were placed posterior to these sites, and the superstructure was modified to accommodate for this change in position of the implant to ensure the esthetic positioning of the prosthesis.