Evaluation of the frequency of Maxillary sinus septa in cone-beam CT images of patients referred to radiology department of tabriz dental faculty in 2011

Abstract

Background: The sinus lift procedure requires detailed knowledge of maxillary sinus anatomy and the possible anatomical variations . This study evaluated the location and prevalence of maxillary sinus septa using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods: This study was based on the analysis of CBCT images for posterior maxilla which were obtained from patients who Referred to radiology department of tabriz dental faculty in2011. With the exclusion of cases presenting any pathological changes, 196 maxillary sinuses in 98 patients were retrospectively analyzed. The average age of the patients was42.7. The cases were divided into two groups, an atrophy/edentulous segment and a non-atrophy/dentate segment. The location of septa was also divided for analysis into 3 regions: the anterior (1st and 2nd premolar), middle (1st and 2nd molar) and posterior (behind 2nd molar) regions. Results: Sinus septa were present in75.5% of the 98 total patients. In terms of location, septa were found in 28 cases (25.9%) in the anterior, in 48 cases (44.4%) in the middle and in 32 cases (29.6%) in the posterior regions and in terms of gender and age the result of prevalance and location of septa have no significant differences. Conclusions: In the posterior maxilla, regardless of type of ridge (atrophy/edentulous or non-atrophy/dentate), the anatomical variation of sinus septa is diverse in its prevalence and location. Thus, accurate information on the maxillary sinus of the patient is essential and should be clearly understood by the surgeon to prevent possible complications during sinus lifting