Computer-assisted implant placement and full-arch immediate loading with digitally prefabricated provisional prostheses without cast: a prospective pilot cohort study

Digital workflow for complete arch immediate loading with a prefabricated interim prosthesis using autonomous robotic surgery: A dental technique

A fully digital workflow incorporating autonomous robotic surgery is described. A prefabricated interim prosthesis offers the potential to streamline the process and reduce chairside time. Adopting this digital workflow can simplify the treatment procedure and help minimize the overall time required for the provision of implant-supported prostheses.

A Staged Digital Protocol for the Terminal Dentition for Immediate Loading Using a Provi-guide

This report describes a step-by-step staged digital protocol for the terminal dentition patient using a Provi-guide. This protocol will improve implant placement accuracy, shorten treatment time, and assure an implant-supported fixed complete denture immediately loaded after extraction of the remaining terminal dentition and complete edentulism. The novelty of the Provi-guide technique described is that it serves 2 objectives: (1) a nonlimiting surgical guide, and (2) a fixed interim prosthesis. Implants placed in the described digital stagged protocol can serve both the interim and the final prosthesis.

Digital workflow for definitive immediately loaded complete arch CAD-CAM implant-supported prosthesis in 3 appointments without using intraoral scanning

This article presents a rapid technique for the accurate transfer of implant positions immediately after image-guided surgery to enable the immediate installation of a definitive complete arch implant-supported prosthesis with an implant biological width of 3 mm within 3 appointments. A sleeveless copy of the implant surgical guide is magnetically connected to a reference guide to ensure the accurate capture of cylindrical titanium transfer abutments. In the laboratory, the sleeveless guide with the splinted transfer abutments attached is used to generate a definitive cast to be scanned with a desktop scanner. The resulting digital definitive cast is then combined with the original meshes of the prosthetically driven virtual treatment plan to enable a definitive computer-aided design and computer-aided manufactured prosthesis to be fabricated and installed with passive fit.

Complications related to digital technologies in treating edentulous patients with dental implants-Part II. Computer-guided surgery and prosthetic stages

This is the second part of a JPD Digital presentation focusing on commonly seen complications and solutions related to using digital technologies in treating edentulous patients during the surgical and prosthetic stages. The proper usage of the computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing surgical templates and immediate loading prosthesis during computer-guided surgery and accurate translation of digital planning into clinical execution are discussed. In addition, design concepts of implant-supported complete fixed dental prostheses are presented to minimize subsequent issues in their long-term clinical service. In concert with these topics, this presentation will allow clinicians to deepen their understanding of the advantages and limitations of utilizing digital technologies in implant dentistry.

Complications related to digital technologies in treating edentulous patients with implant-supported prostheses. Part 1: Digital data collection and surgical planning stages

The treatment of complete or single arch edentulism remains a significant priority for dental clinicians. Patients often request immediate loading for complex complete arch treatments with shorter treatment times and fewer appointments, and digital technologies can be leveraged to provide more effective treatments. This part 1 presentation focuses on the discussion of commonly seen complications related to using digital technologies in treating edentulous patients during the data collection and surgical planning stages. Complications related to digital technologies can be prevented or corrected during these stages, preventing future complications in the clinical (surgical and prosthetic) stages.

Can computer-assisted implant surgery improve clinical outcomes and reduce the frequency and intensity of complications in implant dentistry? A critical review

Computer-assisted implant surgery (CAIS), either static or dynamic, is well documented to significantly improve the accuracy of implant placement. Whether the increased accuracy leads to a corresponding improvement in clinical outcomes has not yet been systematically investigated. The aim of this critical review was to investigate whether the use of CAIS can lead to reduction of complications as well as improved clinical and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) when compared with conventional freehand implant surgery. A comprehensive online search was conducted to identify studies where implants were installed with static computer-assisted implant surgery (s-CAIS)or dynamic computer-assisted implant surgery(d-CAIS) or combinations of the two, either compared with conventional free-hand implant placement or not. Seventy-seven studies were finally included in qualitative analysis, while data from three studies assessing postsurgical pain were suitable for a meta-analysis. Only a small number of the available studies were comparative. The current evidence does not suggest any difference with regard to intraoperative complications, immediate postsurgical healing, osseointegration success, and survival of implants placed with CAIS or freehand protocols. Intraoperative and early healing events as reported by patients in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) did not differ significantly between CAIS used with flap elevation and conventional implant placement. There is limited evidence that increased accuracy of placement with CAIS is correlated with superior esthetic outcomes. Use of CAIS does not significantly reduce the length of surgeries in cases of single implants and partially edentulous patients, although there appears to be a more favorable impact in fully edentulous patients. Although CAIS alone does not seem to improve healing and the clinical and PRO, to the extent that it can increase the utilization of flapless surgery and predictability of immediacy protocols, its use may indirectly lead to substantial improvements in all of the above parameters.

Digitally prefabricated versus conventionally fabricated implant-supported full-arch provisional prosthesis: a retrospective cohort study

Background

To evaluate and compare the clinical outcomes of digitally prefabricated and conventionally fabricated implant-supported full-arch provisional prostheses.

Methods

In this retrospective study, a total of 39 patients (22 males and 17 females) who underwent implant-supported full-arch rehabilitation using the All-on-4 concept with an immediate loading protocol were included: 20 patients treated with digitally prefabricated provisional prostheses were assigned into Group A, and 19 patients treated with conventionally fabricated provisional prostheses were assigned into Group B. Implant/provisional prosthesis survival rates and complications were reviewed. Marginal bone loss (MBL) was investigated by CBCT. Surgical time, restorative time, and total operative time were analyzed. Postoperative pain and swelling were evaluated with the visual analog scale (VAS). The oral health impact profile (OHIP) questionnaire was administered before and after surgery.

Results

The implant/provisional prosthesis survival rate was 100%, and complications appeared with low frequency in both groups, while the mean MBL was 0.30 ± 0.29 mm in Group A and 0.31 ± 0.41 mm in Group B after 3~ 6 months (P > 0.05). The average restorative time in Group A (116.16 ± 16.61 min) was significantly shorter than that in Group B (242.11 ± 30.14 min) (P < 0.05). Patients in Group A showed lower pain/swelling VAS scores after surgery than Group B (P < 0.05). Low OHIP scores with high satisfaction with the overall effects were shown in both groups.

Conclusion

Prefabricated prostheses reduced the prosthetic time and postoperative discomfort in patients whose immediate rehabilitation was based on the All-on-4 concept. This prefabrication technology may be a predictable alternative to improve the short-term clinical outcome of implant-supported full-arch provisional rehabilitation.

Accuracy of DICOM-DICOM vs. DICOM-STL Protocols in Computer-Guided Surgery: A Human Clinical Study

Guided implant surgery can enhance implant placement positioning, increasing predictability and decreasing postoperative complications., To date, the best protocol to be used for template realization is still unknown. Thus, the aim herein was to clinically compare the accuracy of two different protocols. A total of 48 implants were divided into Group A (24 implants), in which a stereolithographic template was realized using the digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) data arrived from cone beam computer tomographies (CBCTs) (patients and prothesis alone), and Group B (24 implant), in which a standard intraoral stent with a standardized extraoral support was used for patients’ intraoral impressions and CBCT. The preimplant virtual planning and postsurgery CBCT images of both groups were superimposed, and differences were registered in terms of average deviations at the platform (a) and implant apex (b), mean depth change (c), and angular deviation (d). The results demonstrated that there were no statistically significant differences between groups (p = 0.76) for the parameters measured. However, statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were found between maxillary and mandible implant surgery, as the latter showed greater accuracy. Additional studies are necessary to further reduce discrepancies between planning and surgical procedures.