Statement of problem: There is a need for clinical evidence for the of use of computer tomography and CAD-CAM technology for surgical planning and fabrication of a custom surgical template in the rehabilitation of complete edentulous jaws with a prosthesis supported by 4 implants placed in immediate function.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to report on the preliminary clinical outcomes of survival and bone loss for prosthodontic rehabilitation using computer-guided flapless implant surgery and 4 implants placed in immediate function to support a fixed denture.
Material and methods: This clinical study included 23 consecutively treated patients (18 maxillae and 5 mandibles). Ninety-two implants were placed supporting fixed complete dentures followed between 6 and 21 months (mean of 13 months). Recall examinations included clinical evaluation of implant mobility, patient-reported discomfort, suppuration, and infection. The radiographic assessment included the determining of the marginal bone level at 6 and 12 months. A cumulative implant survival rate was calculated, and data were analyzed with descriptive statistics.
Results: The overall cumulative implant survival rate at 1 year was 97.8%, with 97.2% and 100% in the maxilla and the mandible, respectively. The average marginal bone loss was 1.9 mm at the 1-year follow-up.
Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that, within the limitations of this preliminary study, this treatment modality for completely edentulous jaws is predictable with a high survival rate.