Abstract
To study the age-related morphological changes of the normal maxillary sinus, 70 images by computed tomography (CT) were selected from 1500 clinical cases. These 70 cases (36 males and 34 females, mean: 45.4 years) include each ten cases from the second to seventh decade, six cases in the eighth and four cases in the ninth decades. The postero-anterior, medial-lateral diameters and the area were measured and the shapes of the frontal and posterior bony walls of the maxillary sinus were observed at the buccal arch level of the axial CT image. These data were analysed in relation to age and tooth loss. The diameters and area peaked between the third and fifth decade and thereafter declined with age. There were significant differences in the mean values of these three parameters between the cases over the sixth decade and those under the fifth decade (p<0.05). The mean values of the males were all greater than those of the females. There were significant sex differences in the points of postero-anterior and medial-lateral diameters in the groups under the sixth decade (p<0.05). These data were reexamined according to whether the patient was dentulous or edentulous. Every value was smaller in the edentulous group than those for the dentulous group. There was a significant difference bet ween the two groups in the point of medial-lateral diameter (p<0.05). The shape of the bony walls increased the hollowed and straight type and decreased protruded type in the edentulous group. It appears that the size of the maxillary sinus decreases with age and is related to tooth loss.
