Implants in the posterior maxilla: a comparative clinical and radiologic study.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate implants placed according to several methods of sinus floor augmentation.


METHODS
Forty-eight patients (median age of 62 years, range 23 to 89) had been treated at least 3 years prior to examination with screw-type implants in the posterior maxilla. Depending on the vertical dimension of the residual bone, 1 of 3 surgical procedures had been performed: sinus lift by lateral antrostomy (SL) in 13 patients; osteotome technique (OT) in 18 patients; standard implantation in 17 patients (control). In each patient 1 implant was randomly chosen for analysis (48 implants with a mean observation time of 4.6 +/- 1.4 years). Examination included probing pocket depth (PPD) measurement and radiographic examination. Radiographs were digitized to assess the marginal bone level. Differences between the groups were tested using analysis of variance, the Student t test and the Kruskal-Wallis test.


RESULTS
Mean PPD was 3.0 mm for the SL, 3.1 mm for OT, and 3.1 mm for control. The mean radiographic bone level was 1.53 mm for SL, 2.40 mm for OT, and 1.96 mm for control. No statistically significant differences were found between the groups for either of these parameters.


CONCLUSIONS
Clinical examinations as well as radiographically stable bone levels indicated similar biomechanical conditions for prosthetic restorations when applying the 3 surgical procedures tested.
Rodoni
Luca R
LR
Clinic for Fixed and Removable Prosthodontics & Dental Material Science, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
Glauser
Roland
R
Feloutzis
Andreas
A
Hämmerle
Christoph H F
CH
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000539:Alveolar Process / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D000540:Alveolar Ridge Augmentation / Q000379:methods*; D001857:Bone Matrix / Q000637:transplantation; D018786:Bone Substitutes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015921:Dental Implants; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008437:Maxilla / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008443:Maxillary Sinus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008903:Minerals / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010027:Osteotomy / Q000379:methods; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
C077540:Bio-Oss; D018786:Bone Substitutes; D015921:Dental Implants; D008903:Minerals