using dental implants for prosthetic rehabilitation of the edentulous maxilla has become a routine dental procedure . however , low quality of the posterior maxillary bone and a highly pneumatised maxillary sinus can compromise an implant 's survival12 .
implant migration into the maxillary sinus can be caused by inexperienced practitioners , unexpected perforations during sinus floor elevation , application of heavy force during implant insertion , and dental implant placement without sinus floor elevation of an excessively pneumatised maxillary sinus3 .
if this condition is inadequately treated , the implants can displace to deeper craniofacial cavities , causing infection , tissue necrosis , and adverse reactions to foreign bodies4 .
treatment of implant migration into the maxillary sinus includes the classic caldwell - luc operation and the endoscopic approach via the nose5 . in this case report
, we will discuss a dental implant that disappeared following its migration into the left maxillary sinus .
a 53-year - old male patient was referred to us for retrieval of a displaced dental implant that had migrated into his left maxillary sinus .
three months before his referral , the patient underwent a surgical procedure where eight dental implants were inserted to rehabilitate his fully edentulous maxilla .
1 ) using sinus floor elevation , implants placed in the left and right first molar areas were inserted simultaneously .
three months postoperatively , the patient 's dentist administered a panoramic radiograph and discovered that one of the implants had migrated into the patient 's left antrum.(fig .
2 ) the patient 's medical and family history was not remarkable , and intraoral examination showed no signs or symptoms of oroantral fistula . after administering computed tomography imaging to localize the implant , we discovered no foreign body in the maxillary sinus.(fig .
3 ) due to the small size of the migrated implant ( 3.4 mm in diameter and 8 mm in length ) and the absence of oroantral fistula , we believe that the implant left the maxillary sinus via the ostium .
thoracic and abdominal radiographs were taken for aspiration risk of the implant but no radiopaque objects within the patient 's body were detected .
similarly , a six - month follow - up of the patient proved to also be uneventful.(fig .
although complications are uncommon , dental implant migration into the maxillary sinus can occur due to inexperienced operators , high pneumatisation of the sinus , and low bone density in the posterior maxilla6 . although implant migration into the maxillary sinus is usually symptomless , it can cause infections that affect the paranasal sinuses and oroantral communications .
implants that have migrated into the paranasal sinuses may also cause sinusitis and adverse reactions to foreign bodies7 . migrated dental implants can primarily be diagnosed using three - dimensional computed tomography but can also be observed on panoramic radiographs and lateral or frontal cephalograms .
retrieval of migrated implants can be achieved via standard caldwell - luc operations , transoral functional endoscopic sinus surgeries ( fess ) , and transnasal fess4 .
some advantages of endoscopic removal of foreign bodies from the atrium include low morbidity , rapid recovery periods , and possible treatment of the affected paranasal cavities4 . for instance ,
kitamura and zeredo6 describe a case report where a migrated dental implant was removed endoscopically via semilunar hiatus . in their report ,
access to the maxillary sinus via semilunar hiatus was cited to be undemanding . to our knowledge , this is the first report of a dental implant that migrated into the maxillary sinus and left the sinus cavity without further treatment . because the patient claimed to have experienced no sensation of swallowing the implant , we believe that the dental implant may have left the antrum via the ostium while the patient was sleeping . therefore , this complication may create the risk of foreign body aspiration and life - threatening conditions . in conclusion
, foreign bodies in the maxillary sinus should be retrieved as soon as possible to avoid infections , maxillary sinusitis , and the potential risk of foreign body aspiration .
 migration of dental implants into the maxillary sinus is uncommon . however 
 , poor bone quality and quantity in the posterior maxilla can increase the potential for this complication to arise during implant placement procedures . 
 the aim of this report is to present a dental implant that migrated into the maxillary sinus and disappeared . 
 a 53-year - old male patient was referred to us by his dentist after a dental implant migrated into his maxillary sinus . 
 the displaced implant was discovered on a panoramic radiograph taken five days before his referral . using computed tomography 
 , we determined that the displaced dental implant was not in the antrum . 
 there was also no sign of oroantral fistula . 
 because of the small size of the displaced implant , we think that the implant may have left the maxillary sinus via the ostium . 
I. Introduction
II. Case Report
III. Discussion