Comparison of the effects of different external sinus lifting techniques on perioperative complications and patient comfort

Aim: The aim of this prospective randomized, controlled, clinical study is to investigate the effects of different external sinus lifting techniques on perioperative complications and patient comfort. Material and Method: This study was conducted with patients who complained of missing teeth in the posterior maxilla and met the inclusion criteria. The sinuses to be lifted were randomly divided into 3 groups: Piezosurgery with a surgical guide group, specially designed bur for lateral sinus lift group, and conventional group. During the intraoperative period, complications, ease of access to the operation site and operation time were recorded. Pain level with the visual analogue scale (VAS) and painkiller consumption were recorded for 7 postoperative days, and edema level was recorded on the 2nd and 7th postoperative days. Patient expectations and experience, quality of life with the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) scale were evaluated on the 7th postoperative day. Results: In the study, a total of 30 sinus lifting operations were performed on 27 volunteers, 16 men and 11 women, between the ages of 26-70. While there was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of operation and osteotomy times, pain, painkiller consumption, edema, patient experience and quality of life (p>0.05), statistically significant differences were observed in terms of membrane elevation time (p=0.015), and ease of access to the operation site (p< 0.001). Conclusion: In the light of the data obtained, the surgical guide-assisted piezo surgical approach may be a preferable approach in terms of the advantages it can provide in clinical practice, when considering the operation time, access to the site and quality of life. However, in cases where higher edema is anticipated, such as cases where the sinus lateral wall is thick, the use of specially designed burs for lateral sinus lift may be advantageous in terms of postoperative edema management.