Correlation between planned prosthetic and residual bone trajectories in dental implants

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Dental Implantology
• Biomedical Imaging

Background:

• Successful dental implant treatment hinges on meticulous treatment planning.
• Traditional implant placement often prioritized bone availability over prosthetic outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify discrepancies between planned prosthetic trajectory and residual bone trajectory.
• To analyze these deviations across different maxillary and mandibular arch regions.
• To evaluate the utility of tomographic surveys and imaging/surgical guides in this analysis.

Main Methods:

• Ninety-two patients (235 implant sites) were included.
• Custom imaging and surgical guides with radiopaque indicators defined the prosthetic trajectory.
• Cross-sectional tomograms assessed bone outlines and residual bone trajectory, calculating trajectory differences.

Main Results:

• Significant discrepancies between planned prosthetic and residual bone trajectories were observed.
• The mandibular molar region exhibited the greatest deviations, statistically differing from other sites (P=.05).
• No other site groups showed statistically significant differences in trajectory deviations.

Conclusions:

• The mandibular molar area presents unique challenges for dental implant trajectory planning.
• Imaging/surgical guides and tomographic analysis are valuable tools for assessing implant placement accuracy.
• Understanding trajectory deviations is crucial for optimizing dental implant treatment success.