OBJECTIVE: In a prospective pilot study, short< or =10 mm ITI-SLA implants were placed in the resorbed posterior maxilla by means of an osteotome sinus floor elevation (OSFE) procedure without grafting material. This paper presents 3-year data assessing bone-level changes around implants. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-five implants were placed in 17 patients to rehabilitate 16 molar and nine premolar sites. The mean residual bone height (RBH) was 5.4 +/- 2.3 mm. A healing period of 3-4 months was allowed before abutment tightening. Most implants (21/25) were 10 mm long, and the others were 8 and 6 mm long. At the 3-year control, endo-sinus bone gain, implant length protruding into the sinus and crestal bone loss (CBL) were measured on periapical radiographs. RESULTS: All implants fulfilled the survival criteria. Despite the absence of grafting material, implants were embedded into newly formed bone tissue. All implants gained endo-sinus bone; the mean gained bone was 3.1 +/- 1.5 mm. The residual protrusion length decreased from 4.9 +/- 2.1 to 1.8 +/- 2.1 mm. CBL was 0.9 +/- 0.8 mm. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that the OSFE procedure without grafting material is sufficient to create bone beyond the natural limit of the sinus. On the mid-term of 3 years, the technique was found to be predictable in the posterior maxilla when the RBH is limited. Implants gained endo-sinus bone despite the lack of grafting material. Bone gain was still improving over the first-year control. No shrinkage of the augmented area was observed.