Long-Term Evaluation of Implant Survival in Augmented Sinuses: A Case Series

This study compared bone grafting regimens and different implant surfaces used for sinus augmentation and presented long-term implant success rates in augmented sinuses. Two hundred fifty-seven consecutive patients with 625 implants were evaluated retrospectively. In phase 1, 188 sinuses were grafted with (1) autograft alone; (2) autograft + demineralized freeze-dried bone allograft (DFDBA) + absorbable hydroxyapatite (AHA) in a ratio of approximately 1:3:3; or (3) DFDBA + AHA + nonabsorbable HA (NHA) in a ratio of approximately 1:1:1. In phase 2, grafting regimen 3 (combination of DFDBA + AHA + NHA) was used in another 69 patients. Data were analyzed based on bone grafting regimen, implant surface texture, and time of implant placement (immediate or delayed). In phase 1, graft type 3 had the lowest implant failure rate (2.7%), followed by type 2 (14.3%) and type 1 (44.4%). The overall implant failure rate was 3.6%. Smooth implants showed the highest failure rate (21.8%), followed by titanium plasma-sprayed (2.9%) and HA-coated (0.7%) implants. In phase 2, the overall implant survival rate was 92.5% after 3 years. Smooth implants showed the highest failure rate (41.7%), followed by sand-blasted, large-grit, acid-etched (6.8%) and HA-coated (3.4%) implants. All failures occurred when implants were placed simultaneously with sinus grafts. This study suggests that long-term implant success can be obtained when maxillary sinuses are augmented with a combination of DFDBA + AHA + NHA. Rough surfaces and delayed implant placement seem to increase implant success in these areas.