The relationship between the dimensions of frontal air sinus and skeletal malocclusions: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective: The goal of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess whether the dimensions of the frontal air sinus correlate with skeletal malocclusion. Study selection: PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar were searched for relevant studies published up to May 23, 2023. The review included observational and retrospective studies that compared the dimensions of the frontal air sinus between different skeletal malocclusions. The PECOS method was used in this study ("Population, Exposure, Comparator, Outcome, and Study design"). The search was done using the following English keywords: "frontal sinus" OR "lateral cephalometric" OR "malocclusion" AND "surface area". Results: Seven studies were included, which involved 1101 participants, of whom 403 were class I, 375 were class II, and 323 were class III. These studies had a moderate risk of bias. The surface area of the frontal sinus in class III was significantly larger than in class I (standardized difference in means (SDM) = -0.971; 95 % CI = -1.147- -0.796; P < 0.001) and in class II (SDM = -1.535; 95 % CI = -1.732- -1.337; P < 0.001). Conclusion: Class III malocclusion is associated with a larger surface area of the frontal sinus compared to classes I and II.