Maxillary sinus lift with bovine bone mineral: a prospective clinical study

Objectives. The aim of this study was to evaluate success and survival rates of implants inserted following maxillary sinus lift procedures in patients with a residual bone height of up to 6 mm, a residual bone width of at least 5 mm, and preservation of normal intermaxillary relationships. Materials and methods. We performed 68 maxillary sinus lifts in 60 patients. Bovine bone mineral was the only graft material used. In subsequent surgical procedures, a total of 120 implants were inserted, and prosthetic loading was done 5 months after implant placement. Results. All sinus grafts showed evidence of full integration. The mean follow-up after prosthetic loading was 24 months. The mean (+/- SD) marginal bone loss was 0.85 mm (+/- 0.36 mm). The overall implant survival and implant success rates were 100% and 97.5%, respectively. Conclusions. The results of this study seem to confirm that use of bovine bone mineral as the sinus graft material offers reliable and predictable results in terms of the survival and success of dental implants in the atrophic posterior jaw.