Comparative assessment of dental implant positioning accuracy using different approaches to dental treatment planning

Abstract

Background. Modern dental practice is going through a period of active digital transformation especially in dental implantology area. Surgical planning accurancy has become particularly important due to increasing demands for the quality and durability of prosthetic appliances. Traditional methods based on gypsum cast models and twodimensional imaging have several significant limitations, necessitating the adoption of digital technologies with proven effectiveness. The purpose of the study was to make comparative assessment of dental implant positioning accurancy using digital (based on intraoral scanning and computer modeling) and analog (based on gypsum cast models) planning methods, as well as to analyze the time required to implement these approaches. Materials and methods. Data of 40 patients (n = 40) with partial and complete adentia were used. Parallel planning was performed using two methods for each clinical case: digital (using intraoral scanner “Shining Elit”, China) and analog (based on gypsum cast models models). Surgical guides of both types were manufactured. Positioning accurancy was assesed by method of superpositioning of postoperative and planning STL-models using specialized software (Geomagic Control X). Results. The average deviation of implants varied in the three-dimensional coordinate axis from 0.84 ± 0.22 mm to 0.92 ± 0.17 mm in the digital group and it varied from 2.41 ± 0.35 mm to 2.53 ± 0.42 mm in the analog group. Duration of digital planning was 22.4% less. Conclusions. Digital planning provides a statistically significantly higher implant positioning accurancy with lower time costs. The digital planning method can be recommended as a preferred method for widespread implementation in dental practice.