Maxillary Sinus Augmentation with a Porous Synthetic Hydroxyapatite and Bovine-Derived Hydroxyapatite: A Comparative Clinical and Histologic Study

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the clinical and histologic results of a porous synthetic hydroxyapatite (HA) compared with bovine-derived HA used in maxillary sinus augmentation. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 titanium implants were placed in 40 patients. Patients in need of maxillary sinus augmentation were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 received bovine-derived HA (20 patients with 50 implants), while group 2 received a porous synthetic HA (20 patients with 50 implants). After a healing period of 6 months, second-stage surgery was carried out. In 50 cases (25 from group 1 and 25 from group 2), bone cores were harvested from grafted areas and processed for histologic examination. Results: Four implants that failed to osseointegrate were removed at the second-stage surgery (2 from a patient from group 1, and 2 from a patient from group 2). All patients were followed for at least 1 year after loading. Histologically, most of the HA particles from both groups were surrounded by newly formed bone. No statistically significant differences were found with respect to percentage of newly formed bone between the 2 groups (P = .031); however, the groups did differ significantly with respect to the percentage of residual graft material observed (P = .001). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that both bovine-derived and porous synthetic HA can be used successfully as graft materials for maxillary sinus augmentation. The clinical performance of the 2 materials was similar. (Clinical Trial) Keywords: anorganic bovine bone, hydroxyapatite, sinus augmentation