Autologous Bone Graft to Augment the Maxillary Sinus in Conjunction With Immediate Endosseous Implants: A Retrospective Study Up to 5 Years

This study reports the successful use of osseointegrated implants to replace posterior teeth combined with the autogenous bone graft technique in the sinus. Preliminary data (1 to 6 years experience) of this one-stage procedure are presented. A total of 33 patients were treated - 44 sinus grafts were augmented with bone from the anterior iliac crest. Reconstruction was completed with ceramic fixed partial dentures, and there was a follow-up of 3 to 80 months (mean 40.2 months) after loading. None of the 44 sinus grafts was lost. Of the 121 implants placed, eight failed, resulting in a failure rate of 6.6% and a cumulative failure rate of 6.8%. Of the 44 prostheses placed in the 44 sinuses, one failed, resulting in a prosthesis stability of 97.7%. Complications were encountered in three patients (three sinuses, eight implants); treatments were administered, symptoms subsided, and the implants integrated in two patients (two sinuses, six implants). One patient lost the two implants and the prosthesis, but the graft integrated. No other complications have since occurred. The results compare favorably with previous reports in terms of implant survival and stability. The implant survival rate approached that of implants placed in uncompromised maxillary bone.