Accuracy of dental implants positioning in computer-assisted surgeries: in vitro study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to presents an experimental method for surgical guide confection using an intraoral scanner to obtain a 3D model of the patient's complete denture and compare its accuracy with the conventional methodology using computed tomography.

STUDY DESIGN: This prospective in-vitro study used 30 polyurethane pre-manufactured mandibles which were divided into two groups, conventional technique (group I) and a new method using intraoral scanner (group II), establishing the virtually planned position of the dental implants as a control group, considered as the gold standard for postoperative comparison.

RESULTS: The difference between these methods is close to zero and not statistically significant (p>0.05), being heigh deviation (Xh) with p:0.130 and angulation difference of dental implants between the groups (Ang) with p:0.396.

CONCLUSION: The acquisition of stereolithography image of the prosthesis using an intraoral scanner has a clinically acceptable accuracy, being in agreement with the conventional method.