Bilateral ectopic third molar in the maxillary sinuses associated with dentigerous cyst: a case report

Abstract

A dentigerous cyst is an epithelial-lined odontogenic cyst formed by an accumulation of fluid between the reduced enamel epithelium and the crown of an unerupted tooth. About 70% of dentigerous cysts occur in the mandible and 30% in the maxilla and the most involved teeth are maxillary canines and maxillary third molar. Dentigerous cysts often displace the related tooth into an ectopic position. In the maxilla when the cyst expands into the sinus, usually causes total or partial occupation of the sinus cavity and can extend to the nose.
 We report a rare case of a 24-year-old female with bilateral maxillary third molars inside the maxillary sinuses attached to a dentigerous cyst and treated with a minimally invasive endoscopic surgery through the middle meatal meatotomy.

Evaluation of Bilateral Maxillary Sinus Ectopic Teeth Using CT and Cinematic Rendering—A Case Report

“…Occasionally, they might be detected unexpectedly during standard radiological scans. An unrestricted literature search was performed, and only five cases were reported as bilateral ectopia [8][9][10][11][12].…”

“…Both 2D panoramic radiography and CBCT confirmed the presence of bilateral ectopic maxillary third molars located within the maxillary sinus cavities. The findings were crucial in determining the treatment approach before proceeding with orthodontic intervention [11].…”

“…We also used cinematic rendering to visualize the ectopic teeth in the maxillary sinus. By simulating the propagation and interaction of light beams as they move through the volumetric data, cinematic rendering creates a representation of 3D pictures that is more lifelike than that produced by ordinary volume rendering [11]. In general, cinematic rendering uses the same procedures as volume rendering to determine color and opacity: transfer functions are employed to convert the gray values in each voxel of the original pictures to a color and opacity value.…”