Nongrafted sinus floor elevation with a space-maintaining titanium mesh: case-series study on four patients

Area of Science:

• Dental implantology
• Oral surgery
• Biomaterials science

Background:

• Maxillary sinus floor augmentation is crucial for dental implant placement.
• Schneiderian membrane tenting has shown success in sinus lifts.
• Alternative methods for sinus floor elevation are continuously explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of a titanium micromesh for lateral-window sinus floor elevation.
• To assess bone regeneration and height increase without bone grafting.
• To determine the reliability of titanium micromesh as a space-maintaining device.

Main Methods:

• A titanium micromesh was used to maintain the elevated Schneiderian membrane in four patients undergoing sinus lifting.
• Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) was used for pre- and post-operative measurements.
• Bone core biopsies were obtained for histomorphometric analysis.

Main Results:

• Average residual ridge height increased from 3.6 mm to 9.63 mm after 6 months.
• Histomorphometry showed 55.3% newly formed bone volume.
• The titanium micromesh facilitated significant bone gain without grafting.

Conclusions:

• Titanium micromesh is a reliable technique for sinus floor elevation.
• This method allows for significant bone regeneration without bone grafting.
• Further studies with larger sample sizes are warranted.