Clinical outcome of implants placed in grafted maxillary sinus via lateral approach: A 10-year follow-up study

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The maxillary sinus floor augmentation (MSFA) technique is frequently used for the preparation of implant sites in the maxillary region. The aim of this study was to investigate the 10-year outcome of dental implants placed in a grafted maxillary sinus, and identify possible risk factors for implant failure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 202 implants after MSFA in 97 patients from January 2008 to April 2009. The outcome variables were 1) 10-year cumulative survival rate of the implant, 2) risk factors for implant failure, and 3) correlation between preoperative residual bone height (RBH) and graft materials in terms of implant survival. Graft materials used were divided into five different groups: autogenic, allogenic, xenogenic, combination of allogenic and xenogenic, or combination of autogenic and xenogenic graft. RESULTS: The cumulative 10-year survival rate for the implants was 96.04%. In regions with a residual bone height of 5.0 mm and less, greater RBH was preferable for long-term implant survival (odds ratio = 3.475; p = 0.035). Implant survival was not significantly different with different graft materials, even when RBH was unfavorable. CONCLUSION: The placement of dental implants with MSFA is a reliable procedure. Further, RBH is an important predictor of long-term implant survival.