The Morpho-Functional Three-Dimensional Analysis for Zygomatic Implants: A Clinical Tool With Surgical Implications

Zygomatic implants (ZIs) have been used successfully for the rehabilitation of jaws with severe atrophy for the past 2 decades. The development of computed tomography, three-dimensional (3D) analysis software, and stereolithographic models has positively impacted the development of preoperative planning. This article describes the protocol developed by the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of El Bosque University, Bogotá, Colombia, through 10 years of experience, for the installation of ZIs, covering from the times when the implants were placed through intraoperative guidance, until now, in which drilling guides developed by computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing are used, without neglecting in their design multiple factors that must be considered. To date, this protocol for the treatment of patients with atrophic jaws through ZIs includes a detailed clinical examination, in which variables such as bone and dental relationship between the jaws, oral opening and dynamic interaction between soft cervicofacial tissues are considered. It also includes a 3D computed tomography planning for the design and preparation of surgical guides whose insertion patterns must be executable during surgery. Together, clinical and imaging analysis converge in what it has been called morpho-functional 3D planning.