ARE MAXILLARY AND SPHENOID SINUS VOLUMES PREDICTORS OF GENDER AND AGE? A CONE BEAM COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY STUDY

Abstract

Objectives:This study aimed to analyze the role of maxillary sinus (MS) and sphenoid sinus (SS) volumes for determining gender and age. Materials and methods: This retrospective study enrolled the cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of 164 MS and 164 SS belonging to 82 patients (40 females and 42 males). Right MS, left MS, right SS, left SS, total SS and total MS volumes were estimated. In order to analyze the role of the volumes for determining age and gender, independent samples test, logistic regression analysis, and Pearson correlation analysis were performed. Results: Males had greater right SS, average SS, and total SS volumes than females (p=0.007, p=0.013, p=0.013, respectively). Right SS volume had the best predictive power (65.9%) for determining gender, and the only significant regression model could be modeled using this parameter. No significant correlation was found between age and any volume (p>0.05). Conclusions: It was concluded that SS volume is a valuable tool for determining gender whereas neither MS nor SS were decisive in determining age. A simpler gender determination is possible with our regression formula incorporating the SS dimension. There is a need for further studies analyzing the role of paranasal sinus volumes and formulations ensuring a simple estimation for determining age and gender among different patient populations.