Clinical evaluation of novel interconnected porous hydroxyapatite ceramics (IP-CHA) in a maxillary sinus floor augmentation procedure.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical behavior and the histological aspects of interconnected porous hydroxyapatite ceramics (IP-CHA) in maxillary sinus floor augmentation procedures. A 59-year-old female patient received one-stage implant integration with right maxillary sinus floor augmentation with mixture grafts from the cortical bone and IP-CHA. Implant stability of each fixture increased at 9 months after fixture installation compared with the first operation and adequate fixation of each fixture could be obtained. Histological analysis revealed there was new bone formation in the majority of pores of IP-CHA. Moreover, on a panoramic radiograph taken at 33 months the mixture grafts were distinctly observed as a radiopacity in the right sinus cavity, and marked absorption of mixture grafts was not found. Our results suggest that IP-CHA has the potential to provide a major scaffold for osteoprogenitor cells and is a useful grafting material for maxillary sinus augmentation.