Association between maxillary sinus pathologies and healthy teeth

ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: The proximity of the roots to the maxillary sinus can create a variety of risks. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between the roots of healthy teeth and the maxillary sinus, as well as the occurrence of sinus pathologies. METHODS: Three radiologists analyzed 109 cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. The Kappa test was used to assess the intra- and inter-rater agreement. The chi-squared test and prevalence ratio were used to test the hypothesis that roots of healthy teeth in the maxillary sinus favored the occurrence of sinus pathologies ( p = 0.01). RESULTS: Intra- and inter-rater agreement ranged from good to excellent. The chi-squared test demonstrated a statistically significant difference ( p = 0.006) between the tooth roots in diseased maxillary sinuses (6.09%) and those in normal sinuses (3.43%). The prevalence ratio test showed a statistically significant higher prevalence of tooth roots in diseased sinuses than in normal sinuses ( p