Introduction: Frontal sinus fractures present a difficult clinical situation due to the possibility of long-term complications. One form of treatment of such fractures is to obliterate the sinus. There are several materials that may be used for that task.

Aim: This study evaluates the results of frontal sinus obliteration in monkeys ( Cebus apella ) with three different materials and compares the findings with the results of spontaneous obliteration.

Materials and methods: The frontal ducts were obliterated with temporalis fascia and bone. Sixteen monkeys were operated, divided into four groups of four animals, which received obliteration of the frontal sinus as follows:

• Group I: Obliteration with heterogenous cortico-medullary bone,

• Group II: Spontaneous obliteration,

• Group III: Obliteration with bioactive glass,

• Group IV: Obliteration with calcium phosphate bone cement.

The animals were sacrificed after 180 days and specimens were prepared for histological and histometrical analysis.

Results: The method used for obliteration of the nasofrontal ducts resulted in obliteration of the ducts with bone in 15 animals (93.75%) and with fibrous connective tissue in one animal (6.25%). Both heterogenous bone and spontaneous obliteration resulted in obliteration of the sinus with bone. Histometry presented no statistically significant differences between the two methods. Bioactive glass promoted sinus obliteration with fibrous connective tissue. Calcium phosphate cement was not substituted by bone or connective tissue.

Conclusions: Heterogenous bone, bioactive glass and spontaneous obliteration were successful for sinus obliteration, whereas calcium phosphate cement was not.

Conflict of interest: None declared.