Frontal Section Perspective of the Maxillary Sinuses, Anterior View

Description

Presented as an anterior-facing frontal section through the midface, the paired maxillary sinuses (antra of Highmore) occupy the body of each maxilla, lateral to the nasal cavity and inferior to the orbits. Their pyramidal cavities extend laterally toward the zygomatic process, with a superior wall forming the orbital floor and an inferior wall closely related to the alveolar process and posterior maxillary teeth roots. Medially, the sinus walls approach the lateral nasal wall and ostiomeatal region, while superior and posteromedial relationships bring the ethmoidal air cells and the sphenoidal region into the same teaching field. Color differentiation separates aerated sinus spaces from surrounding craniofacial bone for fast orientation. An anterior frontal section is the cleanest way to teach why maxillary sinus drainage is physiologically disadvantaged: the natural ostium sits high on the medial wall, predisposing to retained secretions when mucociliary clearance fails during rhinosinusitis. That same spatial logic matters in dentistry and ENT, where odontogenic sinusitis follows periapical infection or oroantral communication after molar extraction, and where functional endoscopic sinus surgery targets the middle meatus and ostiomeatal complex rather than the dependent sinus floor. One bad tooth can mimic sinus disease. The section also supports imaging correlation, since this is the conceptual companion to coronal CT of the paranasal sinuses. Use this artwork in head and neck anatomy courses, dental and maxillofacial training modules, and radiology teaching files that compare coronal CT anatomy with surgical landmarks of the maxilla, orbit, and nasal cavity. It also suits patient-facing ENT education on sinusitis patterns and postoperative expectations after FESS or Caldwell-Luc approaches. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.