Prevalence and morphological variations of maxillary sinus septa in different age groups: A CBCT analysis

Abstract

BACKGROUND: There are limited data from Saudi Arabia on the prevalence and characteristics of maxillary sinus septa. OBJECTIVE: Determine the prevalence and morphological characteristics of septa in the maxillary sinus and their relationship to gender and age using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). DESIGN: Cross-sectional SETTING: CBCT images acquired from the maxillofacial radiology department in a dental school. PATIENT AND METHODS: CBCT scans of 1010 maxillary sinuses from 505 patients were analyzed to determine the prevalence, location, type, and orientation of maxillary sinus septa. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests and t tests were used to analyze the data. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The prevalence, location, type, and orientation of maxillary sinus septa. SAMPLE SIZE: 1010 sinuses from 505 patients. RESULT: Approximately 46% of the studied patients had maxillary septa, which were present in 370 (37%) sinuses. About 64% of the septa were present on the right side and 85.7% of all septa were mediolater-ally oriented. The mean height of the septa was 6.06 mm (0.84) in the right sinuses and 5.70 mm (0.93) in the left sinuses. Multiple septa were found in 101 patients (20%). Among males, 58.5% had septa compared to 34% of females (P