Background: Odontogenic maxillary sinusitis (OMS) and rhinogenic sinusitis (RS) are the main types of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and have a significant impact on health-related quality of life (HRQL), but the difference in HRQL and symptom presentation between them has not been specifically evaluated to date. Obejctive: Our aim was to compare patterns of symptoms and HRQL disease-specific domains in patients affected with these 2 types of CRS. Methods: A group of 201 patients with CRS (99 with rhinogenic and 102 with odontogenic origin) completed the Sino-Nasal Outcome Test 22 (SNOT-22) questionnaire before treatment. Data sets were analyzed by using principal component analysis (PCA) to identify a set of symptom components together with the items excluded from PCA, which were then analyzed for differences between patients with OMS and RS. Results: PCA of SNOT-22 items identified 5 components: “rhinologic,” “extranasal rhinologic,” “ear/facial,” “sleep and functional disturbance,” and “emotional disturbance.” Sneezing was excluded from PCA and treated as separate outcome variable and was significantly worse in RS patients. Patients with OMS scored significantly higher scores with regard to emotional disturbance, while RS patients scored significantly worse in sleep and functional disturbance. The extra symptom “malodor” was the most different symptom and was significantly worse in OMS patients. The total SNOT-22 score was not significantly different between the groups. Conclusion: With controlling of covariates that may influence the severity of the disease, this study showed some significant differences in symptom patterns and HRQL impairment between patients with OMS and RS. Malodor is the most characteristic feature of OMS. Therefore, OMS should always be suspected in patients complaining of bad breath.

The treatment of chronic odontogenic and nonodontogenic rhinosinusitis is different. It requires the elimination of odontogenic cause and optimal sinus surgical treatment. To date, there are no clear indications when sinus surgical treatment is necessary. Our aim was to define clear indication(s) for sinus surgical treatment in patients with chronic odontogenic rhinosinusitis after elimination of odontogenic cause. A group of 96 patients with chronic odontogenic rhinosinusitis caused by apical periodontitis completed a Sino-Nasal Outcome Test 22 (SNOT-22) questionnaire with incorporated additional symptom “malodor” before treatment. Moreover, they were distributed according to computed tomography (CT) radiological criteria such as degree of periapical pathology, anatomical ratio between maxillary lateral teeth and sinus floor, sinus mucosal thickening, and ostiomeatal complex condition. The elimination of odontogenic cause was performed by extracting causative tooth. Questionnaire was filled again 2 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after treatment. All data were analyzed to search the clear indications for sinus surgical treatment. Of 96 patients, 74 (77.1%) patients had full resolution of symptoms after dental cause was eliminated. For other 22 (22.9%) patients, symptoms persisted and sinus surgical treatment was indicated. In recovered group, mean SNOT-22 score was different between all periods of measuring, while within nonrecovered group, small differences were seen only when compared to before treatment. No statistically significant correlation between radiological criteria and rhinosinusitis healing after tooth extraction was found (P > .05). Statistically significant correlation was found between the disappearance of malodor/SNOT-22 score reduction after elimination of dental cause and healing success (P < .005). Our study revealed that extraction of causative tooth is an effective treatment of chronic odontogenic rhinosinusitis caused by apical periodontitis. CT criteria are not valuable indicator for sinus surgery, but persistence of malodor after 2 weeks is the strongest indication for this type of treatment.

There are two clinical subtypes of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS): chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps (CRSsNP). The aim of the study here was to determine the levels of invasive inflammatory markers in nasal mucosa samples taken from CRSwNP patients during the surgery and to identify markers that could serve as targets for potential clinical and therapeutic interventions. The study was carried out in 59 patients with proven CRSwNP and a control group consisting of 52 healthy individuals. Concentrations of the inflammatory markers of interest were determined using a LuminexR Assay multiplex kit. The data obtained indicated that levels of inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-2, -4, -5, -7, -12, -17 and -22 were all significantly higher in the nasal polyps (NP) than those in the mucosa of control participants. No differences were seen between the study groups for IL -6, -10, -13, -21 and interferon (IFN)-gamma. OR (Odds Ratio) analyses confirmed that elevations in mucosal levels of IL-2, -4, -5, -7, -12, -17, and -22 were likely immune markers of CRSwNP. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that IL-2, -4, -12 and -22 may be important in the etiopathogenesis of CRSwNP; as markers, each show moderate sensitivity, but high specificity in the Lithuanian population. IL-17 had good sensitivity, but low specificity in the CRSwNP patients.