The effects of posterior alveolar bone height on the height of maxillary sinus septa

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether posterior alveolar bone height affects maxillary sinus septa (MSS) height in dentate and edentulous patients, as determined by cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).

Materials and methods: This retrospective analysis enrolled 166 patients (91 men and 75 women) with a mean age of 43.12 ± 15.26 years (range 18-74 years), who had at least one MSS on CBCT images. MSS were categorized into three regions: anterior, middle, and posterior. Patients were categorized as complete or partial posterior edentulous or fully posterior dentate. The maximum vertical diameter of the sinus septa and alveolar bone height was analyzed in sagittal CBCT sections; P < 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant.

Results: We found 210 MSS among the patients in this study. Of the 166 patients, 36 had bilateral septa and 4 had three septa. The septa were mainly located in the middle region in the dentate (n = 70; 33.3%) and edentulous (n = 59; 28.1%) patients. The mean septal height was significantly higher in men than in women (P = 0.024). In dentate patients, the mean MSS height was similar among the three regions. In edentulous patients, the anterior mean MSS height (4.96 ± 2.77 mm) was lower than that of the other two regions. There was no statistically significant association between septa and alveolar bone height in any anatomic region, in either group (r = 0.022; P = 0.748).

Conclusions: These results suggest that MSS height is not influenced by alveolar bone height.

Keywords: Alveolar bone; Cone-beam ct; Edentulous maxilla; Maxillary sinus floor elevation; Maxillary sinus septa.