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Morphological and dimensional variations of the frontal air sinuses in a group of adolescent Caucasians and Chinese in different skeletal malocclusions: a cross-sectional cephalometric study

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Abstract

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the morphological and dimensional variations of the frontal air sinuses in a group of adolescent Caucasians and Chinese with different skeletal malocclusions in both genders.

Materials and methods

This retrospective study included 290 adolescent Caucasians and Chinese patients with 145 each. Each sample included 90 females and 55 males and was categorized based on ANB angle in reference to each population norms into 65 skeletal class I, 50 skeletal class II, and 30 skeletal class III malocclusions. All linear, angular, and surface area measurements of the frontal air sinuses were evaluated using lateral cephalometric radiographs and calculated using Winceph version 8 software. The frontal air sinus parameters were compared between genders and the two ethnic groups using an independent sample t-test. ANOVA with Tukey’s post hoc tests were used to compare the frontal air sinus parameters between the three skeletal malocclusions.

Result

The frontal air sinus width and surface area were found to be significantly greater in Caucasians when compared with Chinese patients. According to gender, the frontal air sinus length, width, and surface area, as well as the glabella convexity, were greater in males than females, while the frontal air sinus index (length/width) was significantly greater in females than males in both ethnic groups. In both ethnic groups, the frontal air sinus surface area was significantly greater in skeletal class III malocclusion when compared to skeletal class I and class II malocclusions in Caucasians (P = 0.0022) and Chinese (P = 0.0097). There was a weak-to-moderate correlation between the frontal air sinus parameters and the nasio, sella, and glabella positions (R = −0.56 to 0.62).

Conclusion

The frontal air sinus dimensions and surface area varied greatly in between ethnic groups, genders, and malocclusion types. The frontal air sinus parameters were correlated with nasion, sella, and glabella positions.

Clinical relevance

These findings could assist orthodontists, ENT specialist, and forensic medical investigators to focus on the size of frontal sinus during treatment planning, the relationship between the size of frontal air sinus and malocclusions, and age determination.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by Liaoning province key research and development guidance plan project (Grant no. 2020JH2/10300038) and Shenyang Science and Technology Project (21-173-9-21), China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School and Hospital of Stomatology, China Medical University, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Shenyang, China

    Ahmed lotf Algahefi, Bowen Zheng, Yang Zhao & Yi Liu

  2. Faculty of Dentistry, Ibb University, Ibb, Republic of Yemen

    Ahmed lotf Algahefi

  3. Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia

    Maged S. Alhammadi

  4. Postgraduate Orthodontic Program, Department of Orthodontics, Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Sana’a University, Sana’a, Republic of Yemen

    Maged S. Alhammadi

  5. Department of Pre-Clinical Oral Health Sciences, College of Dental Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar

    Abeer A. Almashraqi

Authors
  1. Ahmed lotf Algahefi
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  2. Maged S. Alhammadi
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  3. Bowen Zheng
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  4. Abeer A. Almashraqi
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  5. Yang Zhao
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  6. Yi Liu
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Contributions

Conceptualization: Yi Liu, Ahmed lotf Algahefi; methodology: Ahmed lotf Algahefi; formal analysis and investigation: Ahmed lotf Algahefi, Maged Sultan Alhammadi; writing—original draft preparation: Ahmed lotf Algahefi; writing—review and editing: Ahmed lotf Algahefi, Maged Sultan Alhammadi, Abeer A. Al-mashraqi, Yang Zhao, Yi Liu; funding acquisition: Ahmed lotf Algahefi, Yi Liu; resources: Ahmed lotf Algahefi; supervision: Bowen Zheng, Yi Liu.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yi Liu.

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Ethics approval and consent to participate

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Institutional Review Board and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The requirement for informed consent was waived due to the retrospective nature of the study.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Algahefi, A.l., Alhammadi, M.S., Zheng, B. et al. Morphological and dimensional variations of the frontal air sinuses in a group of adolescent Caucasians and Chinese in different skeletal malocclusions: a cross-sectional cephalometric study. Clin Oral Invest 26, 5711–5719 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-022-04527-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-022-04527-5

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