Innovative approach to computer-guided surgery and fixed provisionalization assisted by screw-retained transitional...

Area of Science:

• Dental Implantology
• Computer-Guided Surgery
• Prosthodontics

Background:

• Treating completely edentulous patients often presents challenges with conventional surgical templates.
• Existing methods may lack stability and reproducibility, impacting provisional prosthesis support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and assess the viability of a novel clinical approach for completely edentulous patients.
• To utilize computer-guided implant planning for a screw-retained surgical template (ST) supported by transitional implants.
• To support a fixed provisional prosthesis with these transitional implants during definitive implant placement.

Main Methods:

• A case series of five edentulous patients was conducted.
• A duplicate surgical template (ST) was created for placing transitional implants and a radiographic guide (RG).
• Computer-guided surgery placed eight definitive implants, with a prefabricated provisional prosthesis connected to transitional implants.

Main Results:

• All placed implants achieved primary stability and successful osseointegration.
• Transitional implants successfully supported the provisional prosthesis for four months.
• The novel approach demonstrated feasibility in the treated patients.

Conclusions:

• This innovative method overcomes limitations of mucosa/bone-supported STs by providing stable, reproducible support via transitional implants.
• Using transitional implants for a prefabricated, screw-retained provisional prosthesis facilitates passive healing and minimizes chairside adjustments.
• The described technique offers a viable solution for predictable treatment of edentulous arches.