De novo bone formation underneath the sinus membrane supported by a bone patch: a pilot experiment in rabbit sinus model

Aims The objectives of this study were to evaluate bone regeneration beneath a newly devised bone substitute combined with collagen membrane (called a bone patch) lying over a concomitantly placed mini-implant following sinus floor elevation and verify its usefulness as a carrier system for recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) in rabbits. Materials and methods The sinus floor elevation procedure was performed bilaterally in five rabbits. Either a plain bone patch (control group) or an rhBMP-2-loaded patch (experimental group) was randomly placed beneath the elevated sinus membrane (SM) of both sinuses, where the mini-implants were concomitantly placed. Micro-computed tomographic and histologic analyses were performed at 4 weeks post-surgery. Results In micro-computed tomography, the median values of the total augmented volume and the mineralized bone volume were significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group (161 vs. 122 mm3 [P