Comparison of Implant Stability in Sinus Lift Surgery Using Autogenous Versus Allogeneic Bone Grafts

The most common method of increasing implant stability in the posterior maxilla comprises the reinforcement of bone height using bone grafts in sinus lift surgery. The purpose of the present study was to compare autogenous and allogeneic bone grafts in implant stability after open sinus lift surgery. This split-mouth clinical trial compared the implant stability in 10 patients who needed bilateral open sinus lifts, including 8 men and 2 women. Each side of each patient's jaw was assigned to either case or control groups. Open sinus lift was performed on both sides of the jaw: autogenous bone graft was used on the side considered as the control, while allogeneic bone graft was used on the side assigned to the case group. After four months, the implant stability was evaluated and recorded in each group using the Periotest® system. The mean value related to implant stability was -2.78±2.31 in the control group and -3.19±2.51 in the case group. The values below zero (negative values) indicate an acceptable stability. According to Mann-U-Whitney test, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups (P>0.05); however, the intragroup analysis using Wilcoxon test showed statistically significant results with regard to implant stability in each group (P<0.05). Based on the results, autogenous and allogeneic bone grafts have similar effects on implant stability after open sinus lift surgery, and both bone grafts provide a suitable implant durability.