SoundByte(tm) Hearing System Relies on your Teeth!

October 2009

Editor: You read that right! The folks at Sonitus Medical are working on a hearing device that relies on bone conduction through the teeth as a remedy for single sided deafness. Here's their press release!

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Sonitus Medical, Inc., a medical device company developing the world's first non-surgical and removable hearing device to transmit sound via the teeth, today announced the acceptance for publication of the first peer reviewed article on its SoundBite(tm) hearing system. The article featuring a preliminary evaluation of this novel bone conduction device will be published in an upcoming issue of the esteemed Otology & Neurotology professional journal. The new bone conduction device is intended for single sided deafness (SSD), an acquired and usually permanent condition.

Lead author of the article encompassing a preliminary evaluation of this novel device was Gerald R. Popelka, Ph.D., Professor of Otolaryngology and Chief of the Division of Audiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Popelka, who serves on the company's Scientific Advisory Board, and his co-authors, reported on key measurements of the hearing system related to oral function and oral health, calibration, auditory performance, speech intelligibility, and overall comfort.

This acceptance for publication follows the introduction of the SoundBite(tm) hearing system in a featured podium presentation by Dr. Popelka at the Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meeting (COSM) in Phoenix on May 30, 2009.

"We are excited to introduce our innovative SoundBite(tm) hearing system and share early research results with prominent investigators and practitioners in the Otolaryngology community," said Amir Abolfathi, CEO of Sonitus Medical. "The acceptance of this article for publication illustrates the company's commitment to generating good clinical data and engaging with thought leaders in the field as we develop our non-surgical device for patients who suffer from single sided deafness."

Sonitus Medical is developing a nearly invisible In The Mouth (ITM) hearing and communication platform that relies on the principle of bone conduction to undetectably transmit sound via the teeth to the inner ear. Its SoundBite(tm) hearing system is designed to help people who are essentially deaf in one ear to regain spatial hearing ability and rejoin the conversation of life. It is currently for investigational use only.

Following a review of existing treatment approaches for SSD, Dr. Popelka noted that "Both objective and subjective measurements from our study indicate that the new sound delivery system offers important potential benefits for a non-surgical treatment of single sided deafness. Based on the positive results and patient-perceived improvements, additional studies to investigate overall effectiveness and spatial hearing of this device are clearly warranted."

About SoundBite(tm)

SoundBite(tm) hearing system is the world's first and only non-surgical and removable hearing solution that imperceptibly transmits sound via the teeth to help people who are essentially deaf in one ear to rejoin the conversation of life. A nearly invisible digital audio device, SoundBite(tm) relies on a well-established principle called bone conduction to deliver clear, high quality sound, and is intended to restore normal hearing functions to people with either single sided deafness, conductive, or mixed hearing loss. The SoundBite(tm) system consists of an easy to insert and remove dental retainer-like device which requires no modifications to your teeth, and a small microphone unit worn behind the ear. This device is for investigational use only and is currently slated for clinical trials that are intended to support an initial filing for FDA 510(k) clearance for single sided deafness.

About Sonitus Medical