Osteotome sinus floor elevation technique without grafting material and immediate implant placement in atrophic posterior maxilla: report of 2 cases.
OBJECTIVE
This case report discusses 2 patients who required implant placement in the atrophic posterior maxilla to support a fixed prosthesis with the least invasive and shortest procedure.


METHODS
The reference standard of care would be to perform sinus augmentation with an autologous bone graft through the lateral approach with delayed implant placement. However, in these cases, the posterior maxillas were treated with an osteotome sinus floor elevation procedure without grafting material and simultaneous placement of short, 8- and 10-mm-long, tapered implants.


RESULTS
All implants achieved primary stability and were successfully loaded after 3.6 months of healing. At the 1- and 2-year follow-up visits, they were clinically stable and the final prostheses were functioning. The mean endosinus bone gain was 5.1 +/- 1.3 mm. In 1 of the patients, the implants were completely embedded in the newly formed bone and the sinus floor had been relocated apical to its previous demarcation.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings from these 2 cases suggest that the osteotome sinus floor elevation procedure without grafting material, and immediate placement of tapered implants, might be applied in situations for which previously only the lateral approach was considered (at the condition that implants achieve firm primary stability). More patients and longer follow-up are warranted to investigate how reliable this technique can be when applied to the atrophic maxilla.
Department of Stomatology and Oral Surgery, University of Geneva, School of Dental Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland. rabah.nedir@swissdentalclinics.ch
Rabah
R
Nedir
Nathalie
N
Nurdin
Serge
S
Szmukler-Moncler
Mark
M
Bischof
D000368:Aged; D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008437:Maxilla / Q000601:surgery*; D008443:Maxillary Sinus / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013516:Oral Surgical Procedures, Preprosthetic / Q000379:methods*; D010027:Osteotomy / Q000295:instrumentation*