The use of a mineralized allograft for sinus augmentation: an interim histological case report from a prospective clinical study.

A prospective clinical research study of various graft materials used for the augmentation of human maxillary sinuses is currently in progress at New York University Department of Implant Dentistry. This interim case report describes the healing response after a sinus augmentation procedure using a new mineralized cancellous bone allograft. The results after 9 months of healing demonstrated a vital bone content of 25.2% in the grafted sinus, as ascertained from a trephine core taken from the superior aspect of the lateral window area. Although the vital bone requirement for implant survival in an augmented sinus is unknown, the 25.2% vital bone demonstrated in this case compares favorably with that reported in the literature for other augmentation materials, including xenografts, alloplasts, and autogenous bone.