Nongrafted sinus floor elevation with a space-maintaining titanium mesh: case-series study on four patients.

PURPOSE: Numerous materials and techniques have been introduced to augment the maxillary sinus floor for future dental implant placement. Schneiderian membrane tenting above simultaneously placed implants proved to be a successful technique. The present study investigated the use of a titanium micromesh for lateral-window sinus floor elevation without bone grafting.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Four patients indicated for two-stage sinus lifting were included. Through a lateral window, a titanium micromesh was tailored and placed into the sinus to maintain the elevated membrane in place. Immediate and 6-month postoperative cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) was performed to measure the gained bone height. During implant placement, bone core biopsies were retrieved for histomorphometry.

RESULTS: The average residual ridge height among the eight sinuses was 3.6 mm ± 1.6 mm. Six months postoperatively, it reached 9.63 mm ± 1.47 mm. Histomorphometry revealed that the average bone volume of the native bone was 30.3% ± 9.1%, while that of the newly formed bone was 55.3% ± 11.4%.

CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of this study due to the small sample size, the use of the titanium micromesh as a space-maintaining device after schneiderian membrane elevation is a reliable technique to elevate the floor of the sinus without grafting.