Shereen M Shokry, Eman E. El Wakeel, Tasnim AL Sbaih, May Al Otaibi, Malak AL Osaimi
Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between the apices of the maxillary first molar roots and the maxillary sinus floor in a selected Saudi population using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT).
Methods: We analyzed 100 CBCT images from 50 patients, which were retrieved from the archives of the Oral Radiology Department of Riyadh Colleges of Dentistry & Pharmacy (RCsDP), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Forty-three images were of men and 57 of women (age, 11–56 years). They were analyzed using the software available with the CBCT machine. The roots were grouped as follows: Class 0: distance (d) = 0 mm; Class 1: 0 mm < d < 2 mm; Class 2: 2 mm ≤ d < 4 mm; Class 3: 4 mm ≤ d < 6 mm, Class 4: d ≥ 6 mm Means, standard deviations and percentages were calculated for all left and right molars. T-tests were used to compare measurements between right and left sides and between male and female patients.
Results: Statistical analyses revealed that class 1 roots had the highest prevalence. Their percentage was the highest among palatal roots (60.6%), followed by distobuccal roots (53.5%), and mesiobuccal roots (48%). Spearman’s correlation coefficient showed the presence of a correlation between age and first molar root categories in case of the MB root.
Conclusions: The palatal root is the nearest to the sinus lift among all maxillary first molar roots. Clinicians should be aware of the anatomical details of the apices of the maxillary first molar roots especially the palatal root and the maxillary sinus floor while performing any surgical intervention.