Computed tomographic assessment of maxillary sinus wall thickness in edentulous patients

Posterior maxillary region is considered to be the most challenging area for dental implant placement. Lateral window opening is the gold standard procedure for maxillary sinus augmentation in this area. The purpose of this study is to evaluate lateral wall thickness of the maxillary sinus for sinus augmentation using computed tomography (CT) in edentulous patients. Computed tomography images of 302 patients were analysed. Using the maxillary sinus floor as the reference point in edentulous regions, lateral wall thickness was measured on CT scans. After drawing a tangent line at the lowest point of the sinus floor, another perpendicular line to the tangent line was drawn at the same point of the sinus floor. Thickness of the lateral wall of the maxillary sinus was measured using 10DR implant software at 3 (R1), 10 (R2) and 15 mm (R3) from the sinus floor. The mean thickness of the lateral wall of the maxillary sinus from the first premolar to second molar was 1·69 ± 0·71, 1·50 ± 0·72, 1·77 ± 0·78 and 1·89 ± 0·85 mm, respectively. The thickness differed significantly at the R2 and R3 points. Women had thinner lateral walls at the R1 and R2 points at the premolars than did men. At the R2 and R3 points at the second premolar, the mean thickness of smokers was larger than that of non-smokers. There were no significant differences on age or reasons for tooth loss. The changes in the thickness of the lateral wall at different reference points were observed, and CT examinations may help make lateral window without membrane perforation.