Abstract

The recent increase in dental implant placement and advances in maxillary sinus bone grafting have improved the oral envi ronment and greatly benefited patients, but there has also been an increase in dental implant-related maxillary sinusitis. Implant related maxillary sinusitis is a form of odontogenic maxillary sinusitis, which usually presents as a chronic form of maxillary sinusitis. While acute (4 weeks or less) maxillary sinusitis is treated with removal of the associated implant, decontamination of the contaminated bone graft materials, and antibiotics. However, implant-related maxillary sinusitis is most often diagnosed as a chronic maxillary sinusitis condition that has been present for more than 12 weeks and should be treated similarly to chronic maxillary sinusitis. Treatment for chronic implant-related maxillary sinusitis is accompanied by endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) to open the obstructed maxillary ostium. ESS is usually performed by referral to an ENT specialist and can be a burdensome treatment for patients due to the discomfort of surgery and the risk of orbital and cranial complications. In this case series, we aim to help dentists treating chronic implant-related maxillary sinusitis by reporting the complete cure of implant-related maxillary sinusitis without performing ESS by creating an intentional oroantral fistula after removing the caus ative implant. We also report important pathologies that should be differentiated from typical implant-related maxillary sinusitis.