Implants placed in combination with an internal sinus lift without graft material: an analysis of short-term failure.
OBJECTIVE
Investigation of the short-term survival of implants placed in combination with an internal sinus lift (ISL) without graft material.


METHODS
Thirty-six patients received 92 screw-shaped dental implants in combination with an ISL. No bone grafts or bone substitutes were used. Forty-four patients with 77 implants in the native posterior maxilla served as controls. X-rays taken after implant placement and 6 months later were evaluated for the presence of bone gain at the apical aspect of the implants. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox regression analysis were used to estimate survival curves and to isolate risk factors for implant failures.


RESULTS
Within a mean observation period of 1.2 years (minimum 9 months; maximum 3.7 years), four failures were recorded in the experimental group and two in the controls. The probability of survival was above 94% for both groups. Six-nine months after surgery, bone gain was observed in 29 out of 92 implants. Comparison of the experimental group and controls revealed no effect of ISL and membrane perforation on the probability of survival.


CONCLUSIONS
Promising short-term outcomes were observed for implants with ISL without graft material; for a substantial proportion of implants, apical bone gain was observed in the first 6-9 months.
Gabbert
Olaf
O
Department of Prosthodontics, Clinic for Oral, Dental, and Maxillofacial Diseases, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. olaf_gabbert@med.uni-heidelberg.de
Koob
Andreas
A
Schmitter
Marc
M
Rammelsberg
Peter
P
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001861:Bone Regeneration; D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous; D019094:Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported; D019232:Dental Restoration Failure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008443:Maxillary Sinus / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013516:Oral Surgical Procedures, Preprosthetic; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult