Prevalence of incidental pathologies in the maxillary sinus among a sample of asymptomatic dental patients using CBCT—a retrospective analysis

Background: The incidence of abnormalities in asymptomatic people varies between 10.9% and 69.1%. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of pathologies in the maxillary sinuses using CBCT as a diagnostic tool in asymptomatic patients at King Faisal University’s dental clinical complex in Al Hasa, Saudi Arabia. Material and Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study evaluated the CBCT images of 600 patients (male and female) and consisted of 1200 maxillary sinuses. The included patients ranged from 14–75 years old and were grouped into three age groups: (1) 14–30; (2) 31–60; (3) 61–75. The maxillary sinuses were observed for increased mucosal thickening, polypoidal mucosal thickening, polyps, and opacification changes. A correlation of these pathologic findings with age and gender was analyzed. Statistical analyses included a chi-square test and the significance level was p< 0.05. Results: The incidence of the pathological findings in maxillary sinuses observed was 27.7%. The most common abnormality observed was mucosal thickening (63.3%), followed by polypoidal mucosal thickening (18.4%), opacification (10.2%) and sinus polyps (8.1%). However, there was no significant correlation between different age groups or gender. Conclusion: The prevalence of pathologies in the maxillary sinuses is high in asymptomatic dental patients in this study; hence, dentists should be aware of them and evaluate the entire CBCT images comprehensively, as it will help with early diagnosis and treatment.