MAXILLARY SINUS LIFT THROUGH HETEROLOGOUS BONE GRAFTS AND SIMULTANEOUS ACID-ETCHED IMPLANTS PLACEMENT. FIVE YEAR FOLLOW-UP

Aim. The aim of this study was to assess retrospectively at 5 years the clinical outcome of bone regeneration in patients who underwent maxillary sinus lift with different equine-derived, enzyme-deantigenated equine bone grafts, and simultaneous placement of acid-etched surface implants. Methods. Eighteen patients (10 males and 8 females, age between 55 and 61 years) were considered. They were divided into 2 groups according to the type of bone graft used: a combination of an equine flexible heterologous spongy bone layer (Osteoplant® Flex, Bioteck) and equine heterologous cortical and spongy granules (Bio-Gen® Mix, Bioteck), group A, or a block of equine heterologous spongy bone (Bio-Gen® Block, Bioteck), group B. Surface-treated implants ("TRE" type, Biotec) were placed simultaneously to sinus augmentations and usual clinical and radiological tests were performed at 6 months and every year up to 5 years after surgery. Results. At 5 years, 45 out of 49 total implants placed (91.8%) were successful according to the Albrektsson and Zarb criteria. The loss of the 4 failed implants was observed in 2 patients of group B during the first days following surgery. Conclusion. These results show that the heterologous bone grafts supported properly the bone regeneration inside the sinuses, and that the type of implants used allowed to achieve a satisfying rate of success according to the current standards in implantology.