Frequency of Sphenoid Sinus Pneumatization in Panoramic Radiographs

Objective: Sphenoid sinus is an irregular cavity in the skull and sphenoid sinus pneumatization (SSP) is a variation of the sphenoid sinus that can observe on the radiographs when it reaches large sizes. It is aimed to evaluate the prevalence of SSP in panoramic radiographs in this study. Methods: Panoramic radiographs of 500 patients were performed in this study. The patients who applied to our department with miscellaneous dental complaints were over the age of 14. The gender and age of the patients were recorded and the right, left, or bilateral visibility of SSP was examined. The study subjects were classified into four age categories and SSP prevalence was evaluated with gender, age, and visibility by statistical analyses. Results: Female patients were more than males (78%, and 22% respectively). SSP was found in approximately one-third of the patients (33%) in the panoramic radiographs. Of these, 69 (41.8%) were on the right only, 40 (24.2%) on the left only, and 56 (33.9%) were bilateral. SSP was more common in women (24.2%) and was mostly detected in group 2 (14.4%). Any significant difference was not found in terms of right, left, and bilateral SSP, gender, and age groups. (p ›.05). Conclusion: SSP can be superposed in the zygomatic arch as a radiolucency that can be misdiagnosed as a cyst. SSP was observed in approximately one-third of patients in this study so dentists should be aware of superimposed surrounding structures of the maxillofacial region for accurate diagnosis.