Trends in chronic maxillary sinusitis that require surgical treatment in northern Finland.

To examine trends in the incidence of chronic maxillary sinusitis that require surgical treatment in northern Finland, a retrospective population-based survey from 1974 through 1995 was conducted. Data on surgical cases and on various demographic factors and on variables describing medical care in the area were collected for every third year. The overall crude incidence rate (per 100,000 person-years) of chronic maxillary sinusitis requiring surgical therapy was 44 for children and 76 for adults. The age-standardized incidence rate dropped by 78% in children, and by 66% in adults during the period. The changes found to have taken place in the population and in medical care and which could have promoted the decrease were higher educational level and mean income, smaller families, improved level of hygiene, a higher number of physicians and an expanded use of broader-spectrum antibiotics. In conclusion, the most serious forms of chronic maxillary sinusitis, that require operative treatment, are decreasing in both children and adults in northern Finland.