title: Do asymptomatic foreign bodies in the maxillary sinus always need to be removed?
abstract: Foreign bodies may be displaced into the maxillary sinus as a result of trauma or during dental interventions. They commonly cause chronic sinusitis and/or fungal infections. This paper presents the case of a foreign body lodged in the right maxillary sinus ostium of a 31-year-old female patient. The foreign body was observed incidentally during radiological examination. After careful clinical and radiological examination, it was concluded that the foreign body was a piece of amalgam displaced into the maxillary sinus during a traumatic extraction. It is an uncommon finding to observe an asymptomatic dental foreign body in a position so close to the natural ostium of the maxillary sinus for so many years without any oro-antral fistula formation and/or sinusitis attacks. We describe the non-surgical approach to the case and the need for surgical management will be questioned. The importance of consultation between otolaryngologists and oral and maxillofacial surgeons will also be emphasised.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey. firatselvi@gmail.com
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Selvi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Enoz
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yazgin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cakarer
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Keskin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008443:Maxillary Sinus; D011859:Radiography