Maxillary Sinus Floor Elevation

Distal edentulousness of the maxilla, together with extensive resorption of the alveolar crest or high pneumatization of the maxillary sinus, is often a limiting factor for implant-prosthetic rehabilitation. It is possible to compensate insufficient bone volume by elevating the floor of the maxillary sinus using an operative procedure (sinus floor elevation or sinus lifting). Elevation of the sinus floor is an operative procedure based on moving the bottom of the sinus cranially while simultaneously augmenting the bone defect, with the purpose of creating sufficient height at the bone fundament needed for the placement of dental implants. This operative technique has been routine in clinical practice since 1986 and is constantly being improved and modified. The purpose of this review is to present the different techniques in sinus lifting with all their advantages and disadvantages in order to render their implementation in clinical practice as successful as possible. Elevating the maxillary sinus floor by augmentation with allograft or autologous bone implants is a reliable method which broadens the indications for the placement of dental implants in the molar region of alveolar bone A, where, due to extensive pneumatization of the maxillary sinus, it was not previously possible.