Dental News - Study introduces new surgical guide for placement of zygomatic implants

Dental Tribune International

Thu. 13. June 2019

save

BOLOGNA, Italy/FORT LEE, N.J., US: Dental patients who show a deficiency of bone volume cannot be treated with root-form dental implants. Thus, new treatment modalities were sought for these patients. One of the therapies considered was the placement of zygomatic implants, which were introduced to the market over 20 years ago. A recent study has investigated a novel protocol for the placement of zygomatic implants using a specific surgical guide.

The protocol relied on large field of view CT/CBCT scan for an accurate assessment of the maxillary arch to plan zygomatic implant receptor sites. A CT/CBCT-derived surgical guide of a novel design and an exact replica of the entire maxilla and zygomatic bone were fabricated using 3-D printing technology. Four patients with completely edentulous maxillary arches received a total of ten zygomatic implants.

To evaluate whether the actual surgical placement of the zygomatic implants matched the computerised planning and simulation, the preoperative positions were compared with the postoperative positions by merging the pre- and postoperative scan data sets. The degree of accuracy of the superimposition was measured utilising sophisticated software. Apical, coronal and angular deviations were determined for each implant. Deviations from the computerised project to the actual implant positions ranged from 2 mm to 3 mm, and angular deviations ranged between 1.88° and 4.55°.

The study found that the placement of zygomatic implants requires surgical experience owing to the close proximity of vital anatomical structures. It used methods of superimposition that illustrated satisfactory correspondence between inserted implants and the virtual plan. No adjacent vital anatomical structures were damaged. The novel surgical guide design afforded the surgeon visual control of the drilling protocol. Positioning the guide in close proximity to the entry point of the zygomatic body aided control of the drills up to the vicinity of the exit point, significantly limiting problems associated with angular deviation.

The researchers concluded, “Reducing errors and complications is essential for zygomatic implants to remain a viable treatment alternative, and further research on a guided approach to their placement is encouraged.”

The study, titled “Computer-guided approach for placement of zygomatic implants: Novel protocol and surgical guide”, was published in the June 2019 issue of Compendium.

To post a reply please login or register

Guided implant surgical placement with CAD/CAM CEREC crown

Guided surgery has been around for a long time. However, very few dentists in the UK place implants using surgical guides. The reasons for this are ...

Predictable guided implant placement for full-mouth reconstruction

When a patient presents to your dental practice with questionable and/or non-restorable teeth requiring full-mouth extractions, the greatest concern is ...

Comparison of guided and non-guided implant placement accuracy (Part 2)

Proper 3D implant positioning is a crucial factor for predictable implant and prosthodontic treatment. Guided osteotomy preparation and placing implants ...

Comparison of guided and non-guided implant placement accuracy (Part 1)

The procedure of implantation is becoming an increasingly popular method for replacing teeth. The critical factor in the achievement of a therapeutic and ...

Guided surgery for single-implant placement: A critical review

The objective of this review was to evaluate the scientific evidence on accuracy, as well as esthetic and clinical outcomes of single-tooth implants placed ...

New implant study helps improve guided bone regeneration

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: With more people opting for implants, dental practitioners are seeing an increase in difficult cases of implantation, such as ...

Study highlights benefits of in-house 3D printing for immediate dental implant placement

FORT WORTH, Texas, U.S.: Owing to the growing popularity of point-of-care 3D printing and the subsequent creation of 3D-printing laboratories, a recent ...

Predictable immediate guided implant placement and provisionalisation

When a patient presents to your dental practice with questionable and/or non-restorable teeth requiring full-mouth extractions, the greatest concern is ...

A fully guided digital workflow for predictable implant planning and placement

A 62-year-old male patient was referred to my practice for implant planning and treatment in the maxillary anterior region. The teeth in the maxillary ...

Precise implantation using zygomatic implants with Le Fort I osteotomy

The method of simultaneous placement of zygomatic implants combined with a Le Fort I osteotomy represents a valuable solution for patients with severe ...

Education

Live webinar
Tue. 23 September 2025
10:00 am EST (New York)