A literature review of the maxillary sinus with special emphasis on its anatomy and odontogenic diseases associated with it

Maxillary air sinus (MS) is the largest and clinically most important air sinus because of its anatomical relationship with the nasal cavity and especially with teeth of the upper jaw. Periapical dental infection frequently spreads to the maxillary sinus leading to its secondary infection. The occurrence of maxillary sinusitis due to the odontogenic causes is one of the common clinical conditions which is frequently encountered by the endodontists. While handling such cases, the gross anatomy and structure of MS are visualized using various radiological images. However, most of the time, it is challenging for dentists to understand the MS due to its complicated morphology. Keeping this in mind, this literature review is done to comprehensively compile the details on MS from anatomy, radiology, and endodontic importance point of view. The articles were selected from databases like PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar using the keywords “maxillary sinus,” “maxillary sinusitis,” “Endo antral syndrome,” “periapical surgery,” and “odontogenic infections.” In addition, a literature survey was also done using phrases like “roots extending into maxillary sinus,” “foreign bodies in maxillary sinus,” etc. Anatomical variation of sinus could be of clinical importance and the knowledge about the same could come in handy in treatment planning of upper teeth. Extruded materials from the root of a tooth into the sinus can make it prone to infection. The dentist should carefully evaluate the root of a tooth during root canal treatment.