Various materials have been used for bone grafts in the sinus lift operation, to increase the vertical bone height in the maxilla before the placement of dental implants in the atrophic maxilla. In this case history, Surgicel (oxidised regenerated cellulose) was used as a graft material for one patient, allowing successful delayed implant placement within new and existing bone. The sinus region was examined three months after grafting with Surgicel using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The MR images showed that material of similar MR signal to bone had formed within the graft. MRI allowed us to gain tomographic information of the region without exposure of the patient to ionising radiation. The formation of bone within the Surgicel matrix was confirmed at implant placement. This poses interesting questions as to the physiology of bone formation within non-particulate graft material, warranting further investigation.

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