Abstract
Background: Dental implants are considered the first option to replace missing teeth. Alveolar bone resorption gradually progresses following tooth extraction leading to loss of vertical bone dimension for implant placement. The lateral window approach is the most commonly used procedure to treat vertical bone loss. Objective: The aim of the present study is to evaluate the Lateral Wall Thickness (LWT) of the maxillary sinus and determine the influence of gender and side on maxillary LWT. Methods: This study involved a cross sectional retrospective study. Cone- beam computed tomography data were collected from 99 patients with a total of 198 maxillary sinuses that met the inclusion criteria. The patient age ranged between 18 to 35 years. On the selected sagittal section, the points of measurement are determined by a perpendicular line at 5 mm from the lowest point of the sinus floor. Measurements were taken at four different areas; first premolar (P1), second premolar (P2), first molar (M1), and second molar (M2). Descriptive statistics were used to calculate mean lateral wall thickness for each tooth, and student's t-test was used to test the effect of gender and side on maxillary LWT. Results: The greatest mean LWT was observed around the left first maxillary molar (2.43 +/- 0.82), while the lowest mean LWT was observed around the right second maxillary premolar (1.62 +/- 0.61). There was no significant difference in the LWT around any tooth (M1 p=0.56, M2 p=0.92, P1 p=0.14, P2 p=0.19). Conclusion: There was no significant difference in both males and females of the lateral wall thickness in the left and right side of maxillary sinus.