Methods: This study consisted of 12 male New Zealand rabbits, weighing between 2.7 and 3.3 kg each. Twenty-four maxillary sinus floor elevation operations were performed, two on each animal. Each was then repaired with porous titanium granules (PTGs) or a demineralized human bone allograft (DHBA) in putty form. Following the surgery, cone beam tomography (CBCT) was used to determine the height of the grafted maxillary sinuses in the PTGs and DHBA groups (A⁰ and B⁰, respectively). The animals were sacrificed 6 weeks postoperatively. The augmented sinuses in the PTG and DHBA groups (A¹ and B¹, respectively) were examined 6 weeks postoperatively using CBCT.

Results: The augmented height in A¹ group was higher than that in the B¹ group 6 weeks after the surgery. There was a significant difference in the graft resorption rates of the A and B groups. (P<0.05).

Conclusions: In this study, PTG was not resorbed and was able to withstand the air pressure inside the maxillary sinus. Thus, the initial graft height was not greatly reduced at the end of the experiment.