[A study of maxillary sinus lateral wall thickness of Han population in Jiangsu region using cone-beam CT]

To evaluate maxillary sinus lateral wall thickness by use of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), in order to provide anatomical basis for preoperative risk assessment and operation guidance of maxillary sinus lifting.

Using SimPlant software, the 3D images were reconstructed with CBCT images from 412 subjects and the thickness of maxillary sinus lateral wall were evaluated at measurement plane. The data was analyzed with SPSS17.0 software package.

Among 412 subjects (824 sides), the mean thickness of maxillary sinus lateral wall at the second premolar (P2), the first molar (M1) and the second molar (M2) was 2.23±1.07 mm, 2.19±1.45 mm and 1.41±0.81 mm, respectively. The thickness of maxillary sinus lateral wall on the left side were significantly different from that on the right side at P2 (P<0.01). Significant gender differences on the thickness of maxillary sinus lateral wall were demonstrated at P2 and M2 (P<0.05), and the thickness in men were thicker than that in women. The thickness of maxillary sinus lateral wall at M1 and M2 were significantly different among different age groups (P<0.05). There was no significant difference on the lateral wall thickness with respect to presence or absence of tooth.

CBCT can accurately measure the thickness of maxillary sinus lateral wall. The mean thickness of lateral wall changes at different reference points. The value at premolar region is greater than that at molar region, and the maxillary sinus lateral wall is the thinnest at M2. There are significant differences in the mean thickness of the lateral wall with respect to age, gender, and side of maxillay sinus. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (81271109), Priority Academic Development Program of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (2011-137).