Objective To observe the effect of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on the healing of sinus mucosa impairment and the expression of EGFreceptor in sinus mucosa. Methods The model rabbits with rhinogenic sinusitis were anaesthetized, the anterior maxillary wall of each rabbit was opened surgically and mucosa defects were made at the inferior maxillary wall. For each rabbit, the right maxillary sinus was chosen as experimental side (experimental group) and treated with mixture of EGF and normal saline; the left sinus as control side (control group) and treated with normal saline only. At the timepoints of 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks after surgery, every time 6 rabbits were sacrificed, then the healing status of maxillary sinus mucosa and the expression of EGFreceptor in both groups were observed and comparatively analysed. Results EGF could enhance the healing of mucosa defects. The epithelialization rate and expression of EGFreceptor in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.01). Conclusion EGF can facilitate the epithelialization of sinus mucosa via stimulating the expression of EGFreceptor.