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 H. H. 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.