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Background: Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) technology has been a useful tool for decreasing dental treatment complications and ensuring more predictable treatment outcomes. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of maxillary sinuses status in regard to anatomical variations and pathosis using CBCT as a diagnostic tool, in asymptomatic patients who are willing to receive dental implants at King Abdulaziz University Dental Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: Both sinuses in 263 patients (140 females and 96 males) were evaluated using iCAT Classic scanner to acquire the total of 526 CBCT images. Two calibrated dental radiology consultants evaluated the CBCT of the maxillary sinuses images using the Vision software (Imaging Sciences International, Hatfield, PA, USA) for the following finding: number of teeth in intimate relation with the maxillary sinus and the presence of septa (as anatomical variations) and the presence, extent, and configuration of mucosal thickening (MT) as sign of pathosis (mucositis). Results: The highest prevalence of dental proximity to the sinus wall was between the first left premolars and the anterior sinus wall (57.14%) followed by the second right premolars (56.14%). The presence of septa in both right and left maxillary sinuses was 54.37% and 57.41%, respectively. The prevalence of sinus pathosis was 52.7%. Interestingly, 87.07% of the MT cases were due to nonodontogenic origin compared to 12.93% of odontogenic-related pathosis. Conclusions: Preoperative radiographic assessment using CBCT is highly recommended before dental implant placement in our population due to the high anatomical variations and pathosis rates, to allow proper assessment and diagnosis of maxillary sinus disease, if present. The assessment of maxillary sinus disease before surgical intervention will provide a higher standard of care and decrease the risk of complications and failures of dental implants.

This review assessed the most up-to-date literature on the accuracy of detecting vertical root fractures (VRFs] using the currently available diagnostic imaging methods. In addition, an overview of the biological and clinical aspects of VRFs will also be discussed. A systematic review of the literature was initiated in December of 2015 and then updated in May of 2016. The electronic databases searched included PubMed, Emabse, Ovid, and Google Scholar. An assessment of the methodological quality was performed using a modified version of the quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies tool. Twenty-two studies were included in this systematic review after applying specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Of those, 12 favored using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) for detecting VRF as compared to periapical radiographs, whereas 5 reported no differences between the two methods. The remaining 5 studies confirmed the advantages associated with using CBCT when diagnosing VRF and described the parameters and limitations associated with this method, but they were not comparative studies. In conclusion, overwhelming evidence suggests that the use of CBCT is a preferred method for detecting VRFs. Nevertheless, additional well controlled and high quality studies are needed to produce solid evidence and guidelines to support the routine use of CBCT in the diagnosis of VRFs as a standard of care.