comparative study of algipore and decalcified freeze-dried bone allograft in open maxillary sinus elevation using piezoelectric surgery

background and aim . vertical and horizontal bone resorption of the alveolar ridge are common in edentulous jaws. in the distal area of the maxilla, an adequate bone volume is often lacking because of the proximity of the sinus cavities to crestal bone. sinus floor augmentation is an established way of increasing the height and volume of bone in the posterior region of the maxilla, which increase the stability of dental implants. for this purpose various materials, including auto grafts, allografts, alloplasts, and xenografts have been used. the aim of this study was the radiographic and clinical comparison of algipore with decalcified freeze-dried bone allograft (dfdba) inthe open maxillary sinus lift technique using piezoelectric instruments. materials and methods . a total of 20 sinus grafts were performed in 10 patients who had a severely resorbed bilateral maxillary alveolar process with a residual bone thickness of between 1 and 5 mm (mean, 3.6 mm). the operation involved an osteotomy performed on the lateral maxillary wall using piezoelectric instruments, elevation of the sinus membrane, and placement of either of the two bone graft materials in each randomly-selected side. preoperative and postoperative standard radiographs taken at nine months of follow-up were used to compare the outcome of bone height after the maxillary sinus lifting procedure. changes in radiographic density after sinus grafting were evaluated using densitometry. results . the radiographic density was 76.3% on the algipore side and 72.4% on the dfdba side (p >0.05). the mean height of newly formed bone in the augmented area was 12.3 mm on the algipore side and 10.7 mm on the dfdba side (p >0.05). conclusion . after nine months there were no considerable clinical or radiological differences in outcome between algipore and dfdba and both of them were recognized as acceptable materials for sinus lift procedures.