Micro-CT evaluation of the cortical bone micro-architecture in the anterior and posterior maxilla and the maxillary sinus floor.

During lateral and vertical bone augmentation procedures, the cortical recipient bone is perforated several times to open the bone marrow compartment to facilitate provision of osteoinductive cells and molecules in the augmented space. Whether it is meaningful to approach the MSF in a similar way during MSF augmentation procedures or whether the slightly more porous structure of the MSF observed herein reduces the cortical barrier function already sufficiently has to be assessed in future clinical trials.