Use of CBCT and Low-Cost Additive Manufacturing in Implant Surgical Guide Fabrication

The use of dental implants to restore oral form and function has transformed the dental treatment of both partially and fully edentulous patients. With the advent of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging technology in 1998 followed by its establishment at the beginning of the new century as the imaging modality of choice in implant treatment, 2-dimensional treatment planning was abruptly supplemented by the much-cherished third dimension. Additive manufacturing, ie, the fabrication of an object by adding material layer by layer, was pioneered in the early 1980s and has become readily available and relatively affordable over the past few years. Although computer-guided planning of treatment is gaining ground in implant therapy, freehand placement of the fixtures remains the standard of care. Time and cost considerations and lack of proper training throughout the steps involved are factors in why clinicians have been reluctant to adopt computer-guided placement of implants. The purpose of this article is to offer guidance to dental clinicians who favor freehand implant placement to facilitate their transition to computer-guided implantology with the use of static surgical guides.