Oral medicine: 17. radiolucencies and radio-opacities. d. antral disease

Specialist referral may be indicated if the Practitioner feels:

Paranasal sinuses are air-filled cavities in the dense portions of the bones of the skull lined with a ciliated mucosa, the mucus from which drains via openings (ostia) into the nose. The main sinuses are frontal, ethmoid, sphenoid and maxillary. Their main disorders are inflammatory and neoplastic. This section focuses on the maxillary sinus (antrum).

The floor of the maxillary antrum will be visualized in maxillary intra-oral films and in DPTs – where the medial and posterior wall can also be assessed (Figure 1).

Bacteria are most commonly the cause, and incriminated are:

Symptoms can include nasal drainage (rhinorrhea or post nasal drip), nasal blockage, the sensation of swelling in nose or sinuses, ear symptoms, pain in teeth worse on biting or leaning over, halitosis, headache, fever, cough, malaise, etc (Table 2). Symptoms are typically less severe in chronic sinusitis.