The maxillary sinus is a fundamental anatomical structure which is often involved in many oral and maxillofacial surgical procedures in the posterior maxilla, and whose integrity is important to preserve. Infraction or invasion of maxillary sinus can occur during augmentation procedures and implant placement, especially when residual ridge height is reduced due to the process of bone loss after tooth extractions in the posterior maxilla. The invasion of maxillary sinus can hypothetically be considered a potential source of infection or irritation which can lead to inflammation of sinus membrane. Because of these aspects, the placement of dental implants in the atrophic posterior maxilla is a challenging procedure in the presence of reduced maxillary bone height. Various techniques have been proposed in order to obtain the adequate bone dimension for the insertion of implants. However, due to the improvement of surgical techniques and the progress of research in the field of bio-materials, excellent outcomes have been reported in the last years for implant-supported rehabilitations even in cases with severe atrophy. Several types of complications may occur during and after the sinus elevation procedure with lateral approach. In fact, relatively frequent Schneiderian membrane perforations, nose bleeding, postoperative pain, and swelling could be considered as major drawbacks for this treatment alternative even though it was not described an important negative effect on implant success rates.
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