The Effect of Demographic and Disease Variables on Schneiderian Membrane Thickness and Appearance

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of sinus mucosal thickening (MT) and mucosal appearance (MA) in a patient population as detected with cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and to determine the effects of various disease and demographic factors on MT and MA.

Study Design: The retrospective study consisted of CBCT images of 1000 maxillary arches in 500 patients. The arches were divided into 3 groups (atrophic, partially atrophic, and nonatrophic) according to the type of the maxillary dental crest. The CBCT scans were assessed to detect the prevalence of maxillary sinus MT and MA. χ analysis was used to determine the significance of association of periodontal bone loss (PBL), periapical (PA) status, alveolar crest type, age, and gender on sinus MT and MA.

Results: MT was significantly associated with PBL (P = .004), PA status (P = .001), and gender (P < .01). MA was significantly associated with PBL (P = .038), PA status (P = .009), and gender (P < .020). There were no significant associations between age or crest type and either MT or MA.

Conclusions: Periodontal bone loss, PA lesions, and gender may have an association with MT of the maxillary sinus.