Prevalence of Maxillary Sinus Septa in 1024 Subjects With Edentulous Upper Jaws: A Retrospective Study
Maxillary sinus floor augmentation has been routinely performed to optimize dental implant placement in the posterior maxilla. However, complications during a sinus grafting procedure, such as perforation of the Schneiderian membrane, have been reported. This complication is generally associated with the presence of maxillary septa. Therefore, the aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the prevalence of maxillary sinus septae in completely edentulous subjects by means of panoramic radiography. A total of 1024 panoramic radiographs were evaluated by 3 calibrated examiners. From these radiographs, 307 maxillary septa were detected in 221 subjects (21.58%); 86 (8.40%) of the subjects showed maxillary septa in both maxillary sinuses. Logistic regression failed to detect any correlation between the presence of maxillary septa, age, and gender (P > .05). Within the limits of the study, the prevalence of maxillary septa in this Brazilian population was shown to be moderate, indicating that dentists must be aware of the presence of this anatomic structure during maxillary sinus elevation grafting.Abstract
Contributor Notes
Jamil A. Shibli, DDS, MS, PhD, is an assistant professor, Department of Periodontology, Dental Research Division, and the head of the Oral Implantology Clinic, Marcelo Faveri, DDS, MS, Daniel S. Ferrari, DDS, and Leandro Melo, DDS, MS, are graduate students; Ricardo Vieira Garcia, DDS, MS, PhD, and Susana d'Avila, DDS, MS, PhD, are research fellows; Luciene C. Figueiredo, DDS, MS, PhD, is a professor; and Magda Feres, DDS, MS, PhD , is a professor and the chair, Department of Periodontology, Dental Research Division, Guarulhos University, Guarulhos, São Paulo, Brazil. Address correspondence to Dr. Shibli at Centro de Pós-graduação, Pesquisa e Extensão—CEPPE. Universidade Guarulhos-UnG. R. Dr. Nilo Peçanha, 81 6o andar, Prédio U. 07011–040, Guarulhos, SP, Brazil (jashibli@yahoo.com or jshibli@ung.br).