Sinus floor elevation by osteotome: hand mallet versus electric mallet. A prospective clinical study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this clinical study was to compare a hand mallet with an electric mallet in osteotome-assisted sinus elevation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty patients, all of whom were edentulous in the maxillary premolar and molar regions, were included in this prospective study. The patients were divided into two groups. In one group (40 patients, control group) sinus floor elevation was performed with an osteotome pushed by a hand mallet, and in the second group (40 patients, test group) sinus floor elevation was performed with the use of an electric mallet. One-hundred twenty dental implants (60 test, 60 control) were positioned. Intraoral digital radiographic examinations were made at baseline and at 6, 12, and 24 months after implant placement. Alveolar bone height was measured and reported at 6, 12, and 24 months. RESULTS: After 24 months, a survival rate of 98.33% was reported. Three control group patients developed benign paroxysmal positional vertigo following the use of osteotomes and percussion with the hand mallet. The mean alveolar bone gain at 6 months after implant placement was 2.64 ± 1.21 mm in the control group and 2.45 ± 1.55 mm in the test group. After 12 months, the bone height had increased in both groups, and at 24 months it was stable (4.17 ± 1.70 mm in the control group and 4.07 ± 1.03 mm in the test group). No statistically significant differences were seen between groups. CONCLUSIONS: A significant increase in bone height was achieved between 6 and 12 months, and bone levels remained stable at 2 years. The use of an electric mallet provided some essential advantages during surgery in comparison with the hand mallet.