The aim of this retrospective case series was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic outcomes of the patients that underwent implant surgery with a modification of the sinus lift summers protocol. Forty healthy patients in need for oral rehabilitation with dental implants were included in this study. Inclusion criterion was the need for extraction of one compromised tooth due to persistent abscess/ periodontitis/cyst in the atrophic posterior maxilla region. The treatment consisted of two stage surgery for all patients. In the first stage, after tooth extraction, the sockets were preserved with allogenic bone graft and equine collagen membrane. After 4-5 months, 40 implants with a sandblasted surface, were inserted with osseodensification technique and a modification of the Summers sinus lift protocol for fracturing the sinus floor. The implant survival rate was the primary outcome. Intra- and postoperative complications were additional criteria for success. The mean follow-up from implant surgery was 28.0±7.3 (standard deviation) months (range 17.8-43.4 months). One implant was lost before the delivery of the prosthesis. The overall implant survival rate was 97.5%. The overall mean peri-implant marginal bone level change after 6 and 12 months of function was, respectively, 0.26±0.24 mm (95% CI: 0.19, 0.34 mm) and 0.71±0.36 mm (95% CI: 0.60, 0.82 mm). Marginal bone loss was statistically significant at both time frames respect to implant placement, and also the difference between 6 and 12 months was significant (p<0.001 in both cases). No biological nor mechanical complications were recorded throughout the observation period. As a conclusion, the technique presented in this cohort study can be an effective and safe alternative to standard maxillary sinus floor augmentation procedures and immediate implant insertion protocol, especially in cases of periodontitis and infected sites, which can represent a high risk for implant failure in patients with atrophic posterior maxilla.

According to classic Hirschfeld studies, the first teeth to be lost are the first and second maxillary molars. After the teeth are extracted and the alveolar process is developed, the maxillary sinus is reabsorbed and pneumatized with a decrease in bone availability in the posterior sector of the maxilla. This process often creates the need to perform regeneration techniques for the placement of implants in this area due to the low availability of bone. The most frequently used and documented technique for the elevation of the sinus maxillary floor is elevation by the side window, as proposed by Tatum. In 1994, Summers proposed a technique that allowed the elevation of the sinus floor from a crestal access using an instrument called an osteotome, as well as the placement of the implant in the same surgical act. The aimed of the study was to evaluate the survival of 32 implants placed in posterior maxilla with bone availability less than 5 mm performing a sinus lift augmentation technique with osteotome without biomaterials. The results of this study show a survival rate of 100% for 32 implants placed in situations with an initial bone availability of 2 to 5 mm without the use of graft material. The infra-drilling technique used offers an increase in the primary stability of implants that allows adequate osteointegration Implants placed were charged at 12 weeks. In all cases, spontaneous bone formation was observed, even in cases where a positive Valsalva maneuver was observed. This proposed technique reduces treatment time and the need for more invasive maxillary sinus augmentation techniques.

The implant-supported prosthetic rehabilitation of the posterior maxilla may require sinus-grafting procedures due to poor quality and low volume of bone. This can be accomplished using a \"lateral window\" sinus augmentation or with an osteotome sinus floor elevation (OSFE). The hydrodynamic ultrasonic cavitational sinus lift (HUCSL) (Intralift) is derived from the osteotome technique and allows the reduction of some of the traumatic effects of the osteotome technique. The aim of this study was to compare OSFE and the HUCSL procedures on fresh human cadaver heads. Primary outcomes were the height and width of the grafting area in the sinus floor area. Eighty-four maxillary sinuses were selected. On each fresh cadaver head, 2 sinus lifts were done using OSFE and HUCSL in the maxillary sinuses. Computerized tomography scans were performed on each head before and after the surgeries. Measurements were done on radiologic pictures using dedicated software, and the integrity of the sinus membrane was observed after dissecting the maxillae. The use of HUCSL resulted in a significantly higher sinus floor augmentation in the mesio-distal and bucco-palatal direction compared with the osteotome technique (P < .001). There was no correlation between mesio-distal and bucco-palatal diameters of sinus floor augmentation when only the osteotome protocol was considered (r = 0.27 and P = .08). In contrast, the mesio-distal and bucco-palatal diameters of floor augmentation were correlated when the HUCSL protocol was considered (r = 0.79, P < .001). HUCSL represents a good alternative method for sinus floor elevation.