Delayed Implant Fixture Displacement into the Maxillary Sinus Five Years Post-Loading: Unraveling the Causes - A Case...

Reports of implant fixtures dislocating into the maxillary sinus during sinus graft procedures are well-documented. However, cases of fixtures migrating into the sinus long after placement have yet to be reported. This case report details the surgical extraction of a displaced screw and cement-retained prosthesis, including a fixture and its abutment, from the maxillary sinus after a minimum of 5 years under functional load. The extracted implant was subsequently examined using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. We found that the migration commenced with peri-implantitis surrounding the implant, replacing the second molar. This was accompanied by a loss of cement from the crown on this implant and concurrent loosening of the abutment screw on the implant, replacing the first molar. We hypothesize that the inability of the bony tissue surrounding the second molar implant to withstand occlusal forces resulted in forming a bony sequestrum. This process ultimately precipitated the migration of the fixture, along with its abutment and adjacent necrotic bone, into the sinus cavity.