Abstract:Objective To investigate the relationship between maxillary sinus pneumatization and odontogenic maxillary sinusitis. Methods Computed tomographic (CT) data of bilateral alveolar process thickness, alveolar pneumatization depth, maxillary coronary sinus height and sagittal diagonal length in patients with odontogenic maxillary sinusitis were analyzed retrospectively to observe the difference of bilateral maxillary sinus pneumatization. Results The thickness of the affected alveolar process was (5.67±1.79)mm, which was significantly thinner than that of the healthy side (7.88±2.77)mm. The depth of alveolar pneumatization of the affected side was (8.67±2.71)mm, which was significantly deeper than that of the healthy side side (6.31±3.78)mm. There were insignificant differences in neither the maxillary coronary sinus height nor sagittal diagonal length between the affected and healthy maxillary sinuses. The thickness of the alveolar process was negatively correlated with the depth of alveolar pneumatization on the healthy side, while no correlation was found on the affected side. Conclusion Asymmetric localized pneumatization of the alveolar process in patients with odontogenic maxillary sinusitis can cause the bone absorption of the affected alveolar process, which may be a susceptible factor for odontogenic maxillary sinusitis.