Exploring Unexpected Maxillary Sinus Abnormalities in Dental CBCT Scans

Abstract

Background: Incidental maxillary sinus pathologies refer to unexpected findings of abnormalities within the maxillary sinuses discovered during routine dental imaging examinations. Objective: To determine the frequency of incidental maxillary sinus pathologies in dental patients on cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT). Study Design: Cross sectional study. Settings: Department of Dentistry Multan Medical and Dental College, Multan Pakistan. Duration: From August 2022 to January 2023. Methods: This study included 132 adult patients presenting with cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT) images for dental assessment. Exclusion criteria comprised maxillofacial trauma, previous surgery, or congenital anomalies. Patient demographics and radiographic findings were recorded, with two radiologists independently assessing CBCT images for incidental maxillary sinus pathologies. Descriptive statistics and subgroup analyses were performed in SPSS. Results: The mean age was 46.3±10.2 years. In gender distribution, 60 patients (45.5%) were male, while 72 patients (54.5%) were females. The overall prevalence of incidental maxillary sinus pathologies was present in 75 cases, accounting for 56.81% of the total. Among the pathologic findings, mucous retention cysts were the most common, present in 35 patients (63.6%), followed by polyps in 15 patients (27.3%), sinusitis in 10 patients (18.2%), and anatomical variations in 20 patients (36.4%). Conclusion: The study identified an overall prevalence of incidental maxillary sinus pathologies in 56.81% of the dental patient population, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive evaluation during routine dental assessments.