A 10-year follow-up study on clinical outcomes of dental implant rehabilitation using surgical guide.

Objectives: The surgical guide is a static computer-assisted device used for implant surgery planning and guidance. By taking an impression and referring to the patients' three-dimensional computed tomography scan of the desired implant site, a surgical guide can be created. During surgery, the surgical guide aids in achieving the designed implant placement position and direction. We examined and evaluated the long-term clinical outcomes of implant surgery using surgical guides.

Materials and methods: This study investigated a total of 15 patients with 32 implants that were placed using surgical guides from 2009 to 2011 with a mean follow-up period extended beyond 10 years. Patient demographics and implant survival rates were recorded. We analyzed marginal bone loss (MBL) by assessing the radiographs acquired at installation, three months after installation, and one month, one, two, and five years after prosthesis delivery.

Results: The mean patient age was 57.33 years at implant placement. Of the 32 implants, five implants were placed in the anterior region and 27 implants were in the posterior region. Six implants failed and three of them were replaced, resulting in an 81.25% survival rate. The mean follow-up period was 10 years and nine months. Mean MBL compared to post-installation was significantly higher than at three months after installation, and one month, one, two, and five years after prosthesis delivery. Mean MBL at three months after installation, and one month, one year, and two years were significantly higher compared to the previous visit (P<0.05). However, MBL at five years after prosthesis delivery did not differ significantly compared to at two years.

Conclusion: In this study, implant rehabilitation assisted by surgical guides exhibited favorable survival rates. With the limitation of the sample amount in this study, further research and more samples are required to evaluate the long-term clinical effectiveness of surgical guides.