Follow-Up of the Sinus Membrane Elevation Technique for Maxillary Sinus Implants without the Use of Graft Material.
BACKGROUND
There is a limited amount of studies evaluating long-term results of the sinus membrane elevation technique for bone formation around implants in the maxillary sinus floor without the use of bone graft material.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the long-term results of this technique with regard to implant survival and bone gain in the maxillary sinus floor.


METHODS
A retrospective study was conducted on patients who had undergone the surgical procedure from November 2001 to August 2008. Thirty-six patients with a total of 87 implants (ASTRA TECH Implant System™) in 53 sinuses were examined. After a submerged healing period of 6 months and at least 12 months of loading, the patients were examined clinically and radiologically. Implant stability was measured using resonance frequency analysis (RFA).


RESULTS
The mean follow-up time was 4.6 years (range 1.5-7 years). Five implants were lost giving a survival rate of 94.3%.Subantral preoperative vertical bone levels were in the range of 1 to 10 mm. The average bone gain at the sinus floor was 6 mm. The 55 fixtures eligible for RFA displayed a mean implant stability quotient of 77 (range 56-85.5).


CONCLUSIONS
The present study illustrates the long-term reliability of the technique.
Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Christopher
C
Riben
Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. andreas.thor@akademiska.se.
Andreas
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9590-2039
A
Thor
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016025:Bone Transplantation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008443:Maxillary Sinus / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D059546:Sinus Floor Augmentation / Q000379:methods*
blood; bone formation; maxillary sinus; membrane elevation; sinus lift; titanium implant