Alveolar Antral Artery: Does its Diameter Correlate with Maxillary lateral wall Thickness in Dentate Patients?

Introduction: Knowledge of the presence of the alveolar antral artery in the lateral maxillary sinus wall is essential for surgeons who operate in this region. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between alveolar antral artery diameter and lateral maxillary bony wall thickness in dentate patients.

Materials and methods: Thirty five Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) scans from 35 dentate patients were selected in coronal sections in three locations; second premolar (P2), first molar (M1), and second molar (M2). The presence of the alveolar antral artery in each situation was determined and the bone thickness in the region of alveolar antral artery was measured perpendicular to the lateral wall of the maxilla.

Results: The alveolar antral artery was present in 67.1% CBCTs. The difference between the alveolar antral artery diameter was only significant in the first and second molar area (P=0.039).There were significant differences between bone thickness in three locations, with the thickest bone in the first molar area followed by the second molar and second premolar, respectively. The correlation coefficient showed that there is a positive correlation between bone thickness and alveolar antral artery diameter.

Conclusion: This study showed that the thicker the bones in dentate patients, the greater the chance of interference with the large caliber intra-osseous alveolar antral artery.