Implant placement in fresh extraction sockets and simultaneous osteotome sinus floor elevation: a case series

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical success of implants placed in fresh extraction sockets with simultaneous maxillary sinus floor elevation using the osteotome technique. Twelve patients were included. All the patients required the extraction of a maxillary premolar--close to the maxillary sinus--and were scheduled for immediate implant placement. One experimental implant was placed per patient, with an 18-month follow-up period. The graft materials used in both sinus augmentation and peri-implant bone defects were a mixture of collagen gel and corticocancellous porcine bone particles. All implants were allowed to heal for 6 months prior to prosthetic rehabilitation. One of the 12 experimental implants failed because of an abscess during early healing. No implants failed after definitive prosthetic rehabilitation. No significant bone loss was detected at the final follow-up visit. The mean bone height before sinus elevation and implant placement was 7.8 mm. Eighteen months after surgery, the mean bone height was 12 mm. When adequately performed, the surgical procedure described in the present study--immediate implant placement and simultaneous sinus floor elevation--appears to be unproblematic and predictable in terms of clinical success.