Investigation of the relationship of the maxillary sinus floor with maxillary posterior teeth using cone beam CT.

BACKGROUND

Any intervention to the maxillary posterior teeth (MPT) and alveola pose a risk of sinus perforation. Given the proximity of these structures, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between the maxillary sinus (MS) and MPT.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

CBCT images obtained from 207 patients (mean age, 45 ± 17 years; age range: 18-92 years) including 99 females and 108 males were examined retrospectively. Patients with sinus pathologies affecting the structure of MS and a history of oral and maxillofacial surgery were excluded from the study. On these images, the relationship of maxillary sinus floor (MSF) with 2 premolars and 3 molars was examined bilaterally for each patient using Kwak et al.'s classification. The presence, number, frequency and location of septa within the MSF were investigated.

RESULTS

Examination of a total of 410 maxillary sinuses on the images of 207 patients with no sinus perforation or pathology revealed that septa were most commonly (48.7%) located in the middle segment (second molars). When the relationship between the MSF and MPT was evaluated, molar teeth were found to have a closer relationship with the MSF than premolars.

CONCLUSIONS

It is believed that the findings of this study may provide further guidance to the dental practitioners and other clinicians for future studies.