Accuracy of static fully guided implant placement in the posterior area of partially edentulous jaws: a cohort prospective study

Objective A cohort prospective study was conducted to assess the three-dimensional positioning accuracy of the implant between pre-surgical and the final implant position using a static fully guided approach in the posterior area of the jaws. Materials and methods A total of 60 implants (30 patients) were digitally analyzed after superimposing the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) files obtained from the Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) pre- and post-implant placement. The software calculations included deviations at the implant shoulder and at the implant apex, global deviation (3D offset), and angle deviation. Statistical analysis was performed with alpha = 0.05. Results Considering the total number of implants, mesiodistal, buccolingual, and apicocoronal mean deviations at the shoulder and implant apex were equal or below 0.21 +/- 0.69 mm, and only the buccolingual mean deviation at the apex reached up to 0.67 +/- 1.06 mm. The mesiodistal and apicocoronal deviations were not statistically significant at both the shoulder and apex levels of the implant. The mean total angular deviation was 5.62 degrees +/- 4.09. The main limitation of this surgical approach was the requirement for a wide mouth opening. Conclusions Static fully guided surgery for dental implant placement exhibits minimum deviations respect to presurgical planning. The main limitation in the posterior areas is the requirement for a wide mouth opening.