Accuracy of Computer-Assisted Template-Guided Autotransplantation of Teeth With Custom Three-Dimensional Designed/Printed Surgical Tooling: A Cadaveric Study

Abstract

The aim of the present cadaveric study was to assess the accuracy of computer-assisted template-guided autotransplantation of teeth with custom 3-dimensional (3D) designed/printed surgical tooling. Ten partially edentulous human mandibular cadavers were scanned using a cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) system and an intraoral scanning system. The 3D data of these cadavers were imported to specialized software and used to analyze the region of the recipient sites, and the donor teeth were selected. Subsequently, congruent to the donor teeth, custom surgical tooling and surgical-guided templates were designed and 3D printed. The guided osteotomies were performed and the donor teeth transplanted. To evaluate the planned donor teeth positions compared with the transplanted donor teeth positions, the mandibles were scanned again using the CBCT system, and software matching was applied to measure the accuracy of the procedure. The mean angular deflection of the transplanted donor teeth with the planned donor teeth positions was 5.6 ± 5.4°. Comparing the 3D positions of the shoulders, a mean deviation of 3.15±1.16mm and a mean apical deviation of 2.61 ± 0.78mm were found. The described method of computer-assisted template-guided autotransplantation of teeth with custom 3D designed/printed surgical tooling could potentially provide a relatively accurate alternative for the currently available treatment approaches. Further research should focus on improving the accuracy of this technique and evaluating the clinical success and advantages of this method.