Maxillary Sinus Dimensions Decrease as Age and Tooth Loss Increase
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Updated: Mar 8, 2026
Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology
Published on: August 22, 2022
Miguel Velasco-Torres1, Miguel Padial-Molina, Gustavo Avila-Ortiz
1*Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Oral Surgery and Implant Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Granada, Granada, Spain. †Professor, Department of Periodontics, College of Dentistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA. ‡Specialist in Dental and Maxillofacial Radiology, Private Practice, Granada, Spain. §Professor, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine and IBIMER, University of Granada, Granada, Spain. ¶Professor, Department of Experimental Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain. ‖Professor, Department of Oral Surgery and Implant Dentistry, School of Dentistry, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
Objective:
To investigate the correlation between patient-dependent variables and dimensional variations of the maxillary sinus.
Methods:
In this cross-sectional study, a total of 394 individual cone-beam computed tomography scans were evaluated by one calibrated examiner to measure the total volume of the maxillary sinus, the distance between the medial and the lateral walls at 5, 10, and 15 mm vertically from the sinus floor, the height of septa (if present), and the height of the maxillary sinus cavity from both the alveolar crest and the sinus floor to the meatus. Recorded patient-dependent variables were age, gender, and edentulism status.
Results:
Total maxillary sinus volume was significantly smaller in completely and partially edentulous patients than in dentate subjects. This finding was influenced by age, as older patients exhibited less volume, regardless of gender and edentulism status. Age showed an indirect correlation with the distance to the meatus, the sinus volume, and the mediolateral dimensions. Additionally, the prevalence of accessory meatus in this population was 29.19%.
Conclusions:
The dimensions of the maxillary sinus are influenced by age and edentulism status being reduced by aging and tooth loss.
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