Vertical, horizontal and angulation positioning control in guided implant surgery: accuracy of available systems

Abstract

Throughout the history, rehabilitation of partially or fully edentulous areas of the mouth has never stopped to evolve. As of today, the future of dental implant surgery seems to be shifting to guided surgery as its superiority to free hand surgery has clearly been demonstrated (1,2). Guided surgery allows us to visualize, plan implant position digitally as well as reproduce those results in vivo with a narrow margin of error. This is particularly advantageous in cases with bone resorption where implant placement is possible but difficult because of limited bone thickness for example (3,4). It offers in some cases a more minimally invasive treatment option avoiding the need of previous bone regeneration reducing treatment time and complications (2,4). Not only is guided surgery anatomically driven but it is also prosthetically driven which is ultimately the most ideal approach (2–4). Indeed, allowing one to predeterminate several prosthetic parameters such as insertion angle; pre-surgical personalized abutment and others (4). Thanks to its predictability, guided surgery can be considered an option in aesthetic cases where immediate loading is required (4). The digital design of implant abutments and provisional crowns and their manufacturing is possible before surgery which facilitate this approach especially for complex cases such as full arch rehabilitation (4,5).