Utilization of Cone Beam CT for the Measurement of Peri-Implant Bone Graft Density Following Lateral Sinus Augmentation

Background: Bone remodeling after tooth extraction and maxillary sinus pneumatization often creates a clinical challenge for dental implant placement in the posterior maxilla. Aim: To evaluate the changes in graft density after 1-stage lateral sinus augmentation utilizing deproteinized bovine bone alone or mixed with platelet-rich fibrin. Materials and Methods: Twenty-five patients, ages ranged from 25 to 72 years, met the eligibility criteria. A total of 34 lateral sinus augmentation procedures were performed utilizing bone graft and 50 simultaneously installed dental implants. The lateral sinus augmentation cases were allocated randomly into 3 groups: group A, utilizing solely deproteinized bovine bone. Group B, using deproteinized bovine bone mixed with leukocyte and platelet-rich fibrin. Group C, using deproteinized bovine bone mixed with advanced platelet-rich fibrin. The graft density was measured at baseline (T1) and after 24 weeks (T2). Cone beam computerized tomography was obtained for the measurement of changes in graft density for all groups. Results: There was an increase in mean peri-implant graft density from T1 to T2 for each study group; however, it did not reach the statistical significance difference level ( P ˃0.05). Furthermore, there was no statistically significant increase in graft density for both study groups B and C versus group A after 24 weeks. Conclusions: The study groups B and C did not significantly improve the graft density in comparison to group A at T2. The use of cone beam computerized tomography is valuable for the measurement of graft density after maxillary sinus augmentation.