A Computed Tomographic Scan-Derived Customized Surgical Template and Fixed Prosthesis for Flapless Surgery and Immediate Loading of Implants in Fully Edentulous Maxillae: A Prospective Multicenter Study

• Published in: Clinical implant dentistry and related research Vol. 7; no. s1; pp. s111 - s120
• Main Authors: van Steenberghe, Daniel, Glauser, Roland, Blombäck, Ulf, Andersson, Matts, Schutyser, Filip, Pettersson, Andreas, Wendelhag, Inger
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-06-2005
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Brånemark System; Computer-Aided Design; Dental Implantation, Endosseous - methods; Dental Implants; Dental Models; Dental Prosthesis Design; Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported; Dental Stress Analysis; Dentistry; Denture, Complete, Immediate; Denture, Complete, Upper; drilling templates; guided surgery; Humans; Jaw, Edentulous - diagnostic imaging; Jaw, Edentulous - rehabilitation; Maxilla - diagnostic imaging; Maxilla - surgery; Middle Aged; Models, Anatomic; prospective clinical study; Prospective Studies; Surgery, Computer-Assisted; TiUnite; Tomography, X-Ray Computed
• ISSN: 1523-0899; 1708-8208
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1708-8208.2005.tb00083.x

ABSTRACT
Background:
Based on three‐dimensional implant planning software for computed tomographic (CT) scan data, customized surgical templates and final dental prostheses could be designed to ensure high precision transfer of the implant treatment planning to the operative field and an immediate rigid splinting of the installed implants, respectively.
Purpose:
The aim of the present study was to (1) evaluate a concept including a treatment planning procedure based on CT scan images and a prefabricated fixed prosthetic reconstruction for immediate function in upper jaws using a flapless surgical technique and (2) validate the universality of this concept in a prospective multicenter clinical study.
Materials and Methods:
Twenty‐seven consecutive patients with edentulous maxillae were included. Treatments were performed according to the Teeth‐in‐an‐Hour™ concept (Nobel Biocare AB, Göteborg, Sweden), which includes a CT scan‐derived customized surgical template for flapless surgery and a prefabricated prosthetic suprastructure.
Results:
All patients received their final prosthetic restoration immediately after implant placement, that is, both the surgery and the prosthesis insertion were completed within approximately 1 hour. In the 24 patients followed for 1 year, all prostheses and individual implants were recorded as stable.
Conclusion:
The present prospective multicenter study indicates that the prefabrication, on the basis of models derived from three‐dimensional oral implant planning software, of both surgical templates for flapless surgery and dental pros‐theses for immediate loading is a very reliable treatment option. It is evident that the same approach could be used for staged surgery and in partial edentulism.