Maxillary sinus septa: comparison between panoramic radiography and CBCT

Purpose : To investigate and compare the prevalence, size, and location of maxillary sinus septa on panoramic and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. Materials and Methods : Two hundred patients who had taken both panoramic and CBCT images were included. The location of maxillary sinus septa on the panoramic radiographs were recorded and confirmed on the CBCT images. Also the size of septa was measured on the reformatted CBCT images. Results : The prevalence of the patients who had maxillary sinus septa was 51.0% and they showed 179 septa totally. Among them 51.0% of the patients had one septum, 32.4% two septa, 13.7% three, and 2.9% four. The measured heights of the septa were , , and in the medial, middle, and lateral areas, respectively. It was revealed that 1.0% was located at canine region, 18.0% at first premolar, 25.0% at second premolar, 22.7% at first molar, 19.8% at second molar, and 14.0% at third molar region. Among 213 septa depicted by the panoramic radiographs, only 69.0% were confirmed at the CBCT images. Conclusion : Since various heights and courses of the septa can develop in all parts of the maxillary sinus, adequate assessment of the inner aspect of the maxillary sinus is essential to avoid complications during sinus augmentation procedures. CBCT scanning is the preferred radiographic method for detecting the presence of sinus septa.