Implant-related Outcomes in the Context of Maxillary Sinus Lifting

Patients included in the previous case series study who received tooth replacement therapy with dental implants and maxillary sinus augmentation procedures will be invited for a recall exam at the Department of Oral Surgery to be part of this prospective case series study. During this recall exam, photographs, a comprehensive anamnesis, followed by a standard clinical and digital examination, as well as patient-reported outcomes will be performed. Primary and secondary outcomes will be measured and collected, and it will be tested whether long-term MBL is smaller than the clinically relevant 5mm limit. As there is no reference group available and previously published raw data was presumably deleted due to data protection reasons, measurements of secondary outcomes will be summarized by calculating means (continuous data) or percentages (categorical data) including 95% confidence intervals, and compared to reported data from standard implant placement in other publications. The reason for selecting this criterion is due to the new criteria published in the new classification of periodontal and peri-implant diseases and conditions, where a diagnosis of peri-implantitis should have 3mm of marginal bone levels respecting the implant's platform (Schwarz 2018). To the best of the investigators' knowledge, this observational single-center study will be the first study providing the effectiveness of implant therapy in addition to sinus floor elevation procedures with a follow-up longer than 20 years. The findings of this study could bring a valuable perspective on the replacement of missing teeth with dental implants and could provide clinicians and researchers all over the world with reasons that guide the clinical decision-making process.