Surgical performance of dental students using computer-assisted dynamic navigation and freehand approaches

Nowadays, the training of implant placement has shifted from once entirely instructor-student teaching to the increasing use of computer-assisted simulation. Based on computerized virtual planning, dynamic navigation has been used for implant placement with higher accuracy than the traditional freehand protocol. However, whether dynamic navigation benefits to the training of dental students in implant placement remains controversial. This study aimed to compare the surgical performance of dental students in implant placement using computer-assisted dynamic navigation and freehand approaches.

A total of 20 dental students (6 males, 14 females, age: 25.6 ± 0.5 years) were enrolled in this study. With the traditional freehand approach (training 1) as the control protocol, computer-assisted dynamic navigation (training 2) was used in the training of dental students in implant placement. For each training, both the operating time (OT) of students and placement accuracy represented by the linear (at the implant platform, D_pl, and apex, D_ap) and angular (D_an) deviations between the virtually planned and placed implants were recorded. Statistical comparisons were made between the two training protocols as well as male and female surgeons.

OT₂ was around twice of OT₁ (p < .0001), whereas D_an1 was almost three times of D_an2 (p < .0001). D_ap1 and D_pl1 were significantly higher than D_ap2 (p = .014) and D_pl2 (p = .033) respectively. Besides, male students showed statistically higher D_pl1 (p = .033) and D_an1 (p = .002) than females. No significant difference was found between male and female students in OT₁, OT₂, D_pl2, D_ap1, D_ap2 and D_an2.

Within the limitations of this study, the use of computer-assisted dynamic navigation in the preclinical training could improve the surgical performance of the dental students in implant placement. The combination of dynamic navigation with the traditional preclinical surgical training may benefit to dental students and could be applied in dental education.