Exploring digital technologies used in the design and manufacture of craniofacial implant surgical guides: A scoping review

Doaa Salem; Peter Reher; Jane L Evans; Mohammed H Mansour

doi:10.1016/j.prosdent.2023.01.003

Exploring digital technologies used in the design and manufacture of craniofacial implant surgical guides: A scoping review

J Prosthet Dent. 2023 Feb 17:S0022-3913(23)00009-4. doi: 10.1016/j.prosdent.2023.01.003. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Doaa Salem¹, Peter Reher², Jane L Evans², Mohammed H Mansour³

Affiliations

¹ PhD student, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia. Electronic address: doaa.salem@griffithuni.edu.au.
² Professor, School of M edicine and Dentistry, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.
³ Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Dentistry, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

PMID: 36801144
DOI: 10.1016/j.prosdent.2023.01.003

Abstract

Statement of problem: Unlike intraoral implants, digitally planned surgical templates used for guiding the ideal position of the craniofacial implants are not well established, and clear methods and guidelines for their design and construction are lacking.

Purpose: The purpose of this scoping review was to identify the publications that used a full or partial computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacture (CAD-CAM) protocol to create a surgical guide that achieves the correct positioning of craniofacial implants to retain a silicone facial prosthesis.

Material and methods: A systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Scopus for articles published before November 2021 in the English language. Articles needed to satisfy the eligibility criterion of in vivo articles that created a surgical guide with digital technology for inserting titanium craniofacial implants to hold a silicone facial prosthesis. Articles that inserted implants in the oral cavity or upper alveolus only and articles that did not describe the structure and retention of the surgical guide were excluded.

Results: Ten articles were included in the review; all were clinical reports. Two of the articles used a CAD-only approach alongside a conventionally constructed surgical guide. Eight articles described applying a complete CAD-CAM protocol for the implant guides. The digital workflow varied considerably depending on the software program, design, and retention of guides. Only 1 report described a follow-up scanning protocol to verify the accuracy of the final implant positions compared with the planned positions.

Conclusions: Digitally designed surgical guides can be an excellent adjunct to accurately place titanium implants in the craniofacial skeleton for support of silicone prostheses. A sound protocol for the design and retention of the surgical guides will enhance the use and accuracy of craniofacial implants in prosthetic facial rehabilitation.

Publication types

Review