Abstract

With an increase in the number of patients presenting for dental implant treatment, it is becoming more common for clinicians to encounter inadequate bone volume. Several surgical techniques have been advocated for placing dental implants in the posterior maxilla, including the lateral window sinus elevation technique. This article reports the results of implants placed into maxillary sinuses grafted with particulate mineralized cancellous bone allograft alone or in combination with resorbable hydroxyapatite over a 3-year period. A total of 56 sinuses were grafted, and 136 dental implants were placed into the grafted sites after a 4- to 8-month healing period. All reentries revealed a bony hard structure acceptable for osteotomy preparation. Of these implants, 124 have been restored with fixed prosthesis and 12 with removable overdentures for a total of 136 loaded implants. A total of 3 implants required removal (failure) resulting in a 97.7% implant success rate (2.3% failure rate). A conclusion was made that mineralized human allograft, placed into lateral window sinus elevations, is a clinically predicable method acceptable for implant placement and restoration.