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Published on: August 24, 2018
An in vitro study of the fixed edentulous implant guide using a novel approach to edentulous guided surgery using a
1University of Leeds, Leeds, UK. dr@adamnulty.co.uk.
Introduction:
Accurate implant placement in edentulous patients remains a clinical challenge, particularly when using mucosa-supported guides, which are prone to positional errors.
Aims:
To evaluate the accuracy of implant placement using the Fixed Edentulous Implant Guide (FEIG), a screw-retained guide system, compared with a conventional mucosa-supported guide in an edentulous mandible model.
Materials And Methods:
Ten anatomical mandibular models with simulated mucosa and bone were used. Forty dummy implants were placed using either the FEIG system or a conventional guide. Implant positions were virtually planned, and deviations were assessed by comparing the planned and actual positions using STL-based alignment and a custom measurement algorithm.
Results:
The FEIG system demonstrated significantly lower mean deviations at the coronal (0.45 ± 0.15 mm) and apical (0.28 ± 0.13 mm) levels compared with the conventional guide (1.22 ± 0.61 mm and 0.89 ± 0.39 mm, respectively; p < 0.001). Angular deviation was lower for the FEIG (1.99° ± 0.98) but not statistically significant (p = 0.081).
Conclusions:
The FEIG method significantly improved the accuracy of implant placement in vitro compared to a conventional edentulous guide. Further in vivo studies are warranted to confirm its clinical applicability.
