Association between the seasonal changes and mucous retention cyst of maxillary antrum in cone beam computed tomography images in a sample population of Isfahan, Iran.

Abstract

Mucous retention cysts (MRCs) of the maxillary sinuses are incidental findings in radiographs of the oral and maxillofacial structures. These cysts usually appear as rounded, dome-shaped, and soft-tissue masses, most often on the floor of the maxillary sinus. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of maxillary antral MRC and the effect of seasonal variation, sex and age in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. In this simple, nonrandomized, cross-sectional study, CBCT images of patients were reviewed to evaluate the prevalence of MRCs and its location in the antrum, uni or bilateral, size, and season in which MRC occurred. The findings were analyzed using Statistical software SPSS and t-tests (P > 0.05). A total of 765 CBCT images were evaluated (380 males and 385 females); 180 were suggestive of MRCs, 110 occurred in males (28.9%) while 70 (18.2%) occurred in females, which resulted in a prevalence of 23.5%. The peak prevalence of MRC was found in spring (41.6% of all radiographs), but there was no significant statistical difference between the occurrence of MRCs in different seasons (P > 0.05). This study showed no significant difference between the occurrences of MRCs in different seasons. There was no significant difference between male and female and different decades of life. Furthermore, there was no significant difference between the involvement of right and left maxillary sinuses and different walls of the antrum.