Analysis of the Prevalence, Location, and Morphology of Maxillary Sinus Septa in a Northern Chinese Population by Cone Beam Computed Tomography

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to survey the prevalence and morphology of the maxillary sinus septum, which might increase the rate of maxillary sinus membrane perforation during maxillary sinus floor elevation surgery, among northern Chinese, and to further analyze the relationship between gender, age, edentulous type, and prevalence of maxillary sinus septa. METHODS: The cross-sectional retrospective study was based on an analysis of Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) images of maxillary sinus which had been obtained from patients who visited radiology department of Beijing Stomatology Hospital of Capital Medical University (Beijing, China) during the period from January 2019 to December 2019. The data of demographic characteristic, prevalence, position, direction, and morphology of maxillary sinus septum were collected and further analyzed by SPSS version 25.0.1 and R version 3.5.1 software program. RESULTS: 595 patients were included in this study, and 1190 maxillary sinuses were analyzed and the incidence rate of the sinus septum was 46.9%. 399 (33.5%) sinuses had one or more septa in 279 (46.9%) patients. In addition, maxillary sinus septa incidence showed no significant differences among gender, age, and edentulous type. The segment second molar had the highest incidence rate of septa. CONCLUSION: In this study, a higher incidence of the maxillary sinus septum was found in the northern Chinese, and its distribution varied with its position, morphology, and direction.