Morphometric study of the adult maxillary sinus using cone beam computed tomography

The aim of the study was to determine the range of maxillary sinus volume and linear dimensions in adults, taking into account the gender and the side of the location using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. This study used the CBCT images of 136 patients (263 maxillary sinuses), who were presented to Minsk health facilities, with dental and maxillary sinus pathologies, aged over 20 years with no history of upper jaw surgery and with the presence of upper posterior teeth (from the first premolar to the second molar inclusive). The height, depth and width of the sinus were measured manually on CBCT scans. The maxillary sinus volume (V) was calculated by the formula: V = height × depth × 1/3 width. The volume of the maxillary sinus was varied from 5.53 to 24.03 cm3. The mean values of the sinus width, height and depth were 27.13 ± 3.83 mm, 35.83 ± 4.36 mm, and 38.98 ± 3.38 mm respectively. Despite a high variability of the maxillary sinus volume values, we did not find a statistically significant difference between the right and left sides in both males and females. The maxillary sinus linear dimensions and volume in females were statistically significantly less than in males.