Evaluation of the maxillary sinus health

Among the 14 patients submitted to zygomatic implants, only three reported having had nasal obstruction in the weeks preceding the evaluation. One of these patients had a cold, and the other two reported having self-medicated with antihistamines 1 week prior to the evaluation, with the subsequent disappearance of nasal obstruction. Only one patient reported headache and the sensation of pressure in the region of the maxillary sinus. This patient was submitted to video-assisted nasal fibroscopy, which revealed the maintenance of ostium patency and no drainage of secretions into the middle meatus (bilaterally). The tomographic exam demonstrated the absence of sinusitis. No patient had pain upon palpation or periorbital edema. Only one patient exhibited halitosis, but this clinical sign was related to poor oral hygiene rather than sinusitis.

The tomographies revealed no obstruction of the maxillary ostium in any patient and all implants were in close contact with the maxillary sinus (partially inside the sinus cavity) (Fig. 5). All maxillary sinuses received grade 0 on the Lund-McKay scoring system, demonstrating an absence of abnormalities in the images (Table 1).

Patient satisfaction rate after oral rehabilitation

Considering the hypothesis that the palatal emergency profile of zygomatic implants determines a less satisfactory prosthetic rehabilitation, we compared the degree of patient satisfaction with group II. Applying the t test for independent samples, statistically significant difference between the group rehabilitated with zygomatic implants and the group rehabilitated without them was verified. This finding was noticed in the overall patient satisfaction and also individually for each variable. Individual parameters included the stability of the prosthesis, ease of cleaning, the ability to speak, aesthetics, self-esteem, and masticatory function after prosthetic rehabilitation (Table 1).