Frequency of different maxillary sinus septal patterns found on cone-beam computed tomography and predicting the associated risk of sinus membrane perforation during sinus lifting.

Purpose: Analyzing different patterns of maxillary sinus septa in cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images and predicting maxillary sinus membrane perforations.

Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, CBCT images of 222 patients ranging from 20 to 81 years old were evaluated. One hundred fifty-two patients (93 females and 59 males) who had maxillary sinus septa in axial views were included in this study. Cross-sectional images were used to determine classifications of sinus septa and the risk of membrane perforation using a method modified from Al-Faraje et al. Variables of sex, age, and dental status were considered. Chi-squared and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for data analysis ( P <.05).

Results: In this study, 265 maxillary sinus septal patterns were found. The mean age of the patients was 44.1±14.7 years old. The Class I and VII-div II patterns had the greatest and least prevalence, respectively. Furthermore, there was a significant relationship between the location of septa and the frequency of membrane perforation risk ( P <.05). In this study, the relationship of different patterns of septa with dental status did not differ significantly ( P >0.05).

Conclusion: A higher prevalence of moderate risk of membrane perforation in the molar region relative to the premolar region was observed. Furthermore, maxillary sinus septa occur most frequently in the molar region, demonstrating the importance of paying attention to this region during sinus lift surgery. This study did not show any relationship between tooth loss and the presence of septa.