Maxillary sinus augmentation – relative performance of available biomaterials and the challenge of small studies

Sinus Lift

Mark Steven Howe takes a detailed look at this Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA) assessing the relative performance of diffferent biomaterials used for maxillary sinus augmentation. 34 RCTs with 28 different treatment options providing a large number of potential pairwise comparisons although only a small number used direct data. The findings suggest little difference beween the various biomaterials but the available studies are small with only 5 being at low risk of bias.

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Dental implants: Long or short with bone augmentation in the posterior jaw?

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This review comparing outcomes between short (5-8 mm) and long implants (≥10 mm) with bone augmentation in the posterior jaw included 10 RCTs . The findings suggest no differences in outcomes at 1 year.

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Maxillary sinus lifts: with or without grafts?

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This reivew of the efficacy of sinus lift without grafts in atrophic maxilla included 5 small RCTs with the findings suggesting no significant difference in the two approaches

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Sinus lift with dental implants: to graft or not to graft

Dilemma

The Scottish Dental Registrars on a recent review of dental implants combined with sinus augmentation (sinus lift): what is the merit of bone grafting?

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Only weak evidence available of the impact of smoking on survival of implants placed in augmented areas of maxillary sinus

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Grafting to augment the floor of the maxillary sinus prior to placement of dental implants in the resorbed maxillary is an increasingly used technique. The aim of this review was to evaluate the effects of smoking on the survival rate of dental implants placed in areas of maxillary sinus floor augmentation. Searches were conducted in [read the full story…]