Post Title

Objectives Schneider membrane thickening is a common maxillary sinus disease. However, the effect of Schneider membrane thickness on the transcrestal sinus floor elevation still has not reached a consensus. This retrospective study evaluated the perforation and bone formation outcome of the transcrestal sinus floor elevation sites with different Schneider membrane thicknesses. Material and Methods 117 sites of 87 patients treated with transcrestal sinus floor elevation were included in this study. The surgical sites were divided into four groups according to the baseline Schneider membrane thickness: group A (0 – 1 mm), group B (1 – 2 mm), group C (2 – 4 mm),and group D ( > 4 mm). The CBCT was taken before the surgery (T0), immediately after the surgery (T1), and 6 months after the surgery. Results The mean baseline Schneider membrane thickness was 2.16 ± 2.54 mm.The mean residual alveolar bone height was 6.58±1.85 mm. The mean endo-sinus new bone height was 3.76 ± 1.95 mm. The perforation rate and endo-sinus new bone height showed no significant difference among the groups of different membrane thicknesses (p > 0.05). The incidence rates of membrane thickening and perforation were significantly higher in the smoking patients (p < 0.05).Conclusions Membrane thickening without ostium obstruction may have little impact on transcrestal sinus floor elevation surgery in perforation rate and bone formation. In addition, smoking may be a risk factor for membrane thickening and the membrane of smoker is more likely to perforate during the transcrestal surgery.