From early 90s when we started standardising our dental implant treatments by the use of digital technology helped by CT Scans until now when we can even create facial scanning, superimposition of images that can help us not only to diagnose but also to measure, connect and analyze anatomical structures and design surgical guides that will eventually become immediate loading full mouth restorations many years have gone by.
The use of digital technology in human hands require certain human control and decision making process will be a key factor for our treatment success. This means that still the human brain needs to make decisions that will have an impact on our treatments.
Guided surgery can help us to analyze, measure and determine the final implant position depending on the future position of the tooth to be replaced. Also, important structures such as inferior alveolar nerve, maxillary sinus and lingual concavity need to be detected to avoid local damage. Here is where digital technology and guided surgery will have an important role among other benefits.
But the question is…how much accurate guided surgery is? What is the discrepancy of guided surgery from the selected digital point / measure / volume to the final physical position? Assuming the fact that we are creating a guide based on physical elements that have been digitalized how much accurate is that guide going to be.
When using guides (partial or completes), they are submitted to micromovements derived from the use of drills through the sleeves and the resistance of the bone. The use of teeth supported guides and extra elements such as pins will help us to avoid discrepancies between intial position of the guide and final position of the implant. But many mistakes are made during this procedures. To detect and avoid them will determine the accuracy of our advanced surgical treatment.
