Comparison study between cone beam computed tomography and panoramic radiography in the detection of maxillary sinus disease

Background: Maxillary sinuses are related to many dental procedures in the dental clinics now a days and the diagnosis of an infection or a disease in the maxillary sinuses is mandatory by the operator. The purpose of the current paper was to compare the accurate rate between the use of cone beam computerized tomography (CBCT) and panoramic radiography in the detection of maxillary sinuses. Material and Methods: A total of 60 patients were used to collect data for the current study. Each of the patients was assessed using the two measures; CBCT and Panoramic radiography and the results analyzed using STATA Version 13.0.The findings of the study indicate that CBCT was better in analyzing the underlying cause of the patient's symptoms by looking at Seven variables while the Panoramic radiography measure only analyzed two factors due to its dimensional limitation and superimposition of anatomical structures. Results: Based on CBCT, 53% of the patients had the disease, but the panoramic radiography mechanism shows that 65% of the same group of patients had the disease. CBCT is offering a 3D assessment of maxillofacial structures which allows accurate measurements of the mucosal thickness and disease size and extensions. CBCT is more accurate when it comes to the diagnosis and detection of maxillary sinus disease although there are no statistically significant differences between the examined factors and both imaging modalities. This is explained by the small sample size of this study and the experience of the radiologist with both techniques. Conclusion: Panoramic radiographs would be indicated only as a screening procedure while CBCT should be wholly employed in the dental clinics whenever the assessment of maxillary sinuses is recommended.