Short-term healing following the use of calcium sulfate as a grafting material for sinus augmentation: A clinical report

Because of the frequent lack of bone in the posterior maxilla, sinus augmen tation has become a commonly practiced treatment modality. Many different m aterials have been used for augmenting the sinus, and the ideal graft is ye t to be found. The present article reports the results of sinuses grafted w ith calcium sulfate in 2 patients. Bone biopsies were harvested 9 months af ter the augmentation procedure. In the first patient, 3 titanium threaded-c ylinder implants were placed in the grafted area after 9 months, while in t he second, 1 acid-etched, screw-shaped titanium implant was placed simultan eously with the graft. Light microscopic evaluation revealed new bone forma tion with ongoing remodeling and progressive lamellar maturation in the spe cimens. No remnants of the alloplastic material were detectable in any sect ion, either within the bone or in the medullary tissue. When reevaluated at the uncovering procedure, the implants were radiographically and clinicall y judged to be osseointegrated. These observations suggest that, when used in the appropriate form and with the proper technique, calcium sulfate is a promising graft material for sinus augmentation, producing adequate quanti ty and quality of new bone for implant placement. (Int J Oral Maxillofac Im plants 1998;13:866-813).