Thickening of Schneiderian membrane secondary to periapical lesions: A retrospective radiographic analysis

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible correlation between adjacent periapical lesions of maxillary teeth and Schneiderian membrane thickness (SMT).

An analytical study of case-control study design was conducted. From the archives, cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of 83 patients with periapical lesion in any of the maxillary posterior teeth were randomly selected as the case group. The normal, contralateral teeth in the same patient were considered in the control group. Eighty-eight teeth were considered in each group, comprising a total sample of 176. For each sample in case group, the distance from the border of the periapical lesion to the cortical bone of the bony floor of the maxillary sinus and SMT were measured. SMT on the contralateral side adjacent to the healthy (control) teeth was also measured. Data were presented in mean ± standard deviation and inferential statistics was performed using independent t test and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Later Pearson correlation and multiple linear logistic regression were carried out using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software program, version 21.0 at 95% confidence interval.

Teeth with periapical lesion were found to have significantly (P < 0.001) increased SMT when compared with that of adjacent to healthy teeth. On the contrary, nonsignificant differences were found in SMT when genders and age groups were compared (P = 0.295 and 0.060, respectively). A strong negative correlation was observed between distance of the lesion to the sinus and SMT (P = 0.003).

Neighboring periapical lesions of maxillary teeth are associated with SMT that is worsened when the lesion is close to the sinus.