Crestal Sinus Floor Elevation with Autogenous Press-Fit Dowel Bone Harvested Using Trephine Drills: A New Method

The aim of this study was clinical and radiographic evaluation of sinus floor lifting from the alveolar crest with trephine bur and autogenous bone graft. In this research, a press-fit dowel bone technique with application of an autogenous bone block was used for elevating the sinus floor. Ten closed sinus lift surgeries were performed on 10 patients; all patients possessed atrophic ridges in an edentulous maxilla. Bone height of the ridge ranged between 3 and 5 mm. Surgery included forming a bony cylinder with a trephine bur to reach the sinus cortical floor and then elevating the sinus floor bone with anosteotom and placing an autogenous bone block at the site and fitting it with strikes of a hand mallet. The amount of an osteotom sinus floor height gain was measured during implant placement and via radiography before surgery and four months postsurgery. Average height of the sinus floor bone after surgery was 8.33 mm with SD = 1.39 mm. Mean bone height gain after surgery in evaluated patients was 3.47 mm with SD = 1.4 mm. As a result, bone sinus floor height following surgery was significantly increased (P value = 0.044), with a significant difference between sinus floor bone height before and after surgery (P value = 0.041). No significant difference was observed between sinus floor bone height gain and sex, age, and smoking before and after the operation. The sinus floor lift method by trephine and autogenous bone graft is a practical and simple way to reduce the time needed for implantation in patients with moderate atrophy of the posterior maxilla.