Anatomy and Related Pitfalls in Sinus Floor Elevation

The maxillary sinus (sinus maxillaris) is the largest of the paranasal sinuses (air cavities). It is located laterally in the face in both parts of the nasal cavity. This cavity is related to three other cavities: the orbit (roof of the sinus), the oral cavity (floor of the sinus), and the nasal cavity by the medial wall of the sinus. Since the 1980s, odontologists and maxillofacial surgeons have used this natural cavity to compensate for maxillary posterior crestal atrophy and enable prosthodontic fixed solutions using dental implants after sinus floor elevation (SFE) procedures.