A Flapless Surgical Placement of Implants in Mandibular Arch Using Computer-Guided Surgical Stent

Abstract

The loss of teeth is always challenging for the patients. It is not only a functional loss but also a psychological and social loss. But with the advent of dental implants, this clinical situation can be dealt with tactfully. In an edentulous arch, prosthetic rehabilitation by all on 6 implants require accurate placement of implants for a successful result. A computer-guided surgical stent can be advantageous over arbitrary placement of implants and can overcome the difficulties associated with arbitrary placement. Using the cone beam computed tomography of the patient, virtual planning of implant is done. The exact implant angulations can be visualized to achieve the best possible esthetics and occlusion. This information is then converted to fabricate a stent using three-dimensional printing. Using this stent, a flapless surgical implant placement can be done which will reduce the post-operative trauma. This case report describes a case of a patient having an edentulous mandibular arch. The prosthetic rehabilitation of the mandibular arch was done by flapless surgical placement of six implants using a computer-guided surgical stent.