Digital implant planning and guided implant surgery – workflow and reliability

• Published in: British dental journal Vol. 226; no. 2; pp. 101 - 108
• Main Authors: Schubert, O., Schweiger, J., Stimmelmayr, M., Nold, E., Güth, J.-F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 25-01-2019; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: clinical; Data processing; Dental Implantation, Endosseous; Dental implants; Dentistry; Esthetics, Dental; Humans; Medical malpractice; Prosthetics; Reproducibility of Results; Surgery; Surgery, Computer-Assisted; Workflow
• ISSN: 0007-0610; 1476-5373
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.bdj.2019.44

Key Points
Discusses the advantages and the reliability of digital implant planning and guided implant surgery.
Discusses limitations and sources of error in digital implant planning and guided implant surgery.
Describes the workflow from digital implant planning to guided implant surgery.
Modern oral implantology and implant prosthetics depend on comprehensive diagnostics and precise planning to ensure the desired outcome and meet the patient's and the dentist's expectations. In this context, digital implant planning and guided implant surgery based on three-dimensional radiographic data and the digitised intraoral surfaces can be of excellent service. They provide valuable information and permit stringent backward planning to optimise the implantological and prosthetic result, improving the safety and efficiency of the surgical procedure and rendering the restorative outcome more predictable in terms of function, biology and aesthetics. However, template-guided implant surgery carries its own specific risks in terms of manufacturing inaccuracies and application errors. These possible sources of error must be recognised and carefully considered in order to avoid adverse consequences.