Analysis of the healing process in sinus bone grafting using various grafting materials

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to compare differences in the healing process in the sinus bone grafting using various grafting materials. Study design. Maxillary sinus bone grafts were divided into 4 groups according to the graft material used: group I, a mixture of autogenous bone and BioOss (Osteohealth Co., Shirley, NY); group II, a mixture of BioOss and Orthoblast II (Greencross; Isotis); group III, BioOss only; and group IV, synthetic bone, Osteon (Genoss, Korea), only. To evaluate the healing status of the graft surgery, bone specimens were collected from the lateral sinus using a 2.0-mm trephine bur at 4 and 6 months after surgery. Histology of the bone specimens was prepared, and the percentage of newly formed bone fraction, lamellar bone/woven bone ratio (LB/WB), and newly formed bone/graft material ratio (NB/GM) were measured to indicate the suitability of the materials and the healing of the grafts. Results. The LB/WB ratio and NB/GM ratio were markedly increased at 6 months compared with the values at 4 months. It was observed that good bone healing was achieved even for grafts of xenogeneic bone only or synthetic bone only. Cases grafted with a mixture of allogeneic and xenogeneic bone showed no great advantage regarding bone healing. Conclusion. The results indicated that grafts of xenogeneic or synthetic bone can be effective for sinus bone grafting.