In general, patients seemed to be satisfied with the auricular prostheses, which did improve their quality of life. Furthermore, the quality of life was enhanced with higher quality prostheses and with proper hygiene to prevent skin reactions.

Several individual factors influence the decision of patients with SSD to opt for a BCD. Hearing loss in the contralateral ear at high frequencies seems to be a relevant factor to predict the success of the BCD headband trial. It is advisable to offer all patients with SSD the option to participate in the BCD headband trial for at least 1 week and create a realistic expectation for patients based on their unaided subjective hearing handicaps.

No abstract