We report 50 patients who had sinus lift operations between 1995 and 1999 using different grafting materials [autologous bone, heterologous bone, and hydroxyapatite]. The casenote were analysed clinically (intraoperative and postoperative results and complications), radiographically (amount of augmented bone 6 months postoperatively), and histologically (quality of the new bone 12 months postoperatively). Our aim was to find out if the various bone grafting materials used resulted in different outcomes after adjustment for significant predictors. We found that hydroxyapatite was associated with the lowest rate of loss of grafted material (median, 2.4 mm) followed by the autologous bone from iliac crest (2.8 mm). Bovine bone shown the highest loss (3.3 mm).