title: Nasal floor augmentation for the reconstruction of the atrophic maxilla: a case series.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The severely atrophic edentulous maxilla imposes a challenge for dental implant rehabilitation. Nasal floor augmentation (NFA) is a method of augmenting bone height in the anterior maxilla. Autogenous bone has been commonly used as a graft material. Because of variations in results and lack of insufficient studies reporting the use of bone substitutes to graft the nasal floor, this study aims to evaluate the survival and success of dental implants placed in nasally grafted maxillae with osteoconductive bone substitutes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six patients with completely edentulous maxillae and inadequate height in the anterior to support implants underwent NFA. The nasal floor was exposed through an intraoral approach and grafted with osteoconductive bone graft substitutes. Twenty-four dental implants were placed, restored with a bar-retained implant-supported overdenture after a traditional healing period, and followed up after prosthetic loading. Patient satisfaction was evaluated with a questionnaire, and responses were expressed on a visual analog scale from 1 to 10. Bone levels were quantified radiographically based on a score ranging from 1 to 3, where 3 represented the highest bone support. Implants were evaluated for thread exposure and soft tissue health and were considered successful if the following criteria were met: absence of mobility; lack of symptoms; bone score of 3; and healthy peri-implant soft tissue without thread exposure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The age of patients ranged from 48 to 84 years, with a mean of 71.2 years. Three patients underwent NFA and simultaneous implant placement, whereas the other 3 had a mean healing period of 6.5 months before implant placement. Post-loading follow-up ranged from 4 to 29 months, with a mean of 14.2 months. The implant survival rate was 100%, with no complications. Ninety-three percent of the responses to the treatment satisfaction questionnaire had a score of 7 or greater. Bone scores ranged from 2 to 3, with 87.5% of implants having a score of 3 and 12.5% having a score of 2. None of the implants had a bone score of 1.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of osteoconductive bone substitutes for NFA, as shown in this small case series, is a reliable method for reconstruction of the anterior atrophic maxilla for implant-supported overdentures.
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
authors.forename: Moustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: El-Ghareeb
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pi-Anfruns
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khosousi
authors.forename: Tara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aghaloo
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Moy
mesh_terms: D020341:Absorbable Implants; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D000540:Alveolar Ridge Augmentation / Q000379:methods*; D018786:Bone Substitutes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous / Q000379:methods*; D017268:Dental Prosthesis Retention; D019094:Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported; D003828:Denture, Overlay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007575:Jaw, Edentulous / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000601:surgery; D008437:Maxilla / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009296:Nasal Cavity / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D013516:Oral Surgical Procedures, Preprosthetic / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D016348:Osseointegration; D011859:Radiography; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014716:Vertical Dimension
chemical_list: D018786:Bone Substitutes