Oculo-orbital complications of odontogenic sinusitis

Introduction: Odontogenic sinusitis is a well-known, but under-studied bacterial infection of the maxillary sinus that can extend to other sinuses, the orbit, or even the endocranium. Material and methods: We performed an observational retrospective study on the patients with odontogenic sinusitis treated in our hospital over a five-year period. We included patients over 18 years old diagnosed with odontogenic sinusitis and ocular complications and we excluded patients with ocular complications nonrelated to dental-originated sinusitis or patients with odontogenic sinusitis without orbital-ocular complications. Results: We examined the charts of 46 patients. From the total number of patients with oculo-orbital complications generated by odontogenic sinusitis, only 7 were women. The mean age was 33,7 with a standard deviation of 15,7 years. The oculo-orbital complications were assessed according to the Chandler classification. The most frequent orbital complication was preseptal cellulitis followed by orbital cellulitis. All the patients were treated with antibiotic covering both anaerobic and aerobic bacteria and 40 of the patients in our study received surgical treatment. The outcomes were favorable for all the patients in our study with clinical resolution. Conclusion: The oculo-orbital complications of odontogenic sinusitis are severe because they can result in vision loss or other ocular sequelae. The bacteriological features of this sinusitis explain the special characteristics of this infection and can facilitate the extent of the infection to the orbit. Prompt intervention with antibiotics covering anaerobic and aerobic bacteria and surgery addressed to the affected sinus/ sinuses, the dental disease and the orbital pathology ensures a big success rate in the therapy of these complications.