Fully-Guided Placement of Dental Implants Utilizing Nasopalatine Canal Fixation in a Novel Rotational Path Surgical Template Design: A Retrospective Case Series.

Objectives: Precise implant placement in the anterior and posterior maxilla often presents challenges due to variable bone and soft tissue anatomy. Many clinicians elect a freehand surgical approach because conventional surgical guides may not always be easy to design, fabricate, or utilize. Guided surgery has been proven to have advantages over freehand surgical protocols and therefore, the present study proposed utilizing the nasopalatine canal (NPC) as an anatomical reference and point of fixation for a novel rotational path surgical template during computer-aided implant surgery (CAIS).

Methods: The present digital workflow combined artificial intelligence (AI) facilitated cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) software bone segmentation of the maxillary arch to assess the NPC and surrounding hard tissues, to design and fabricate static surgical guides to precisely place implants. After rotational engagement of the maxillary buccal undercuts, each novel surgical guide incorporated the NPC for fixation with a single pin to achieve initial stability.

Results: 22 consecutive patients requiring maxillary reconstruction received 123 implants (7 fully and 15 partially edentulous) utilizing a fully-guided surgical protocol to complete 4 overdenture and 18 full-arch fixed restorations. 12 patients required extensive maxillary bone augmentation before implant placement. 13 patients required delayed loading based on bone density and 9 patients were restoratively loaded within 24 to 96 hours post-surgery, accomplished with the use of photogrammetry for the fabrication of 3D-printed restorations. The initial implant success rate was 98.37% and 100% initial prosthetic success. The use of the NPC for fixation of surgical guides did not result in any neurovascular post-operative complications.

Conclusions: The novel template concept can improve surgical outcomes using a bone-borne template design for implant-supported rehabilitation of the partial and fully edentulous maxillary arch. Preliminary case series confirmed controlled placement accuracy with limited risk of neurovascular complications for full-arch overdenture and fixed restorations.

Clinical Significance: NPC is a vital maxillary anatomic landmark for implant planning, with an expanded role for the stabilization of novel surgical guide designs due to advancements in AI bone segmentation.