Thermal Changes During Digitally Guided Implant Surgery Using Conventional and Single-Drill Protocols

To compare heat generation during osteotomy for dental implant placement using a conventional (sequential drilling) drill protocol versus a single-drill protocol in digitally guided surgery and to clarify differences in thermal exposure time.

In this study, we used a bovine rib ex vivo model with a surgical splint and a type K thermocouple to measure temperature and time. The conventional protocol (n = 20) involved sequential drilling using six drills of increasing diameter, while the simplified protocol used a single drill (n = 20). Four implant beds were prepared in the tibia of a New Zealand rabbit to compare the mean temperature values between the in vivo and ex vivo models.

Student's t-test revealed no significant differences (P = .1688) in temperature elevation between the conventional (mean = 1.977°C; SD = 1.165) and single-drill (mean = 2.634°C; SD = 1.734) protocols. However, significant differences between the groups were found in the exposure time: conventional drilling protocol-107.105 seconds (SD = 29.196); single-drill protocol-16.842 seconds (SD = 8.101). The mean temperature increases due to drilling were 0.365°C (SD = 0.204) and 0.378°C (SD = 0.381) in the rabbit tibia and bovine rib, respectively; however, no significant differences (P = .926) were found between the in vivo and ex vivo models.

Conventional and single-drill guided surgery protocols for implant bed preparation generate similar temperatures in vitro. Exposure time is longer with conventional protocols than with single-drill protocols.