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.