Effects of groove sealing of the posterior occlusal surface and offset of the internal surface on the internal fit and accuracy of implant placements using 3d-printed surgical guides: An in vitro study

This study evaluated the internal fit and the accuracy of the implant placement position in order to determine how the surface shape of the tooth and the offset influence the accuracy of the surgical guide. The acquired digital data were analyzed in three dimensions using 3D inspec-tion software. The obtained results confirmed that the internal fit was better in the groove sealing (GS) group (164.45 ± 28.34 µm) than the original shape (OS) group (204.07 ± 44.60 µm) (p < 0.001), and for an offset of 100 µm (157.50 ± 17.26 µm) than for offsets of 30 µm (206.48 ± 39.12 µm) and 60 µm (188.82 ± 48.77 µm) (p < 0.001). The accuracy of implant placement was better in the GS than OS group in terms of the entry (OS, 0.229 ± 0.092 mm; GS, 0.169 ± 0.061 mm; p < 0.001), apex (OS, 0.324 ± 0.149 mm; GS, 0.230 ± 0.124 mm; p < 0.001), and depth (OS, 0.041 ± 0.027 mm; GS, 0.025 ± 0.022 mm; p < 0.001). In addition, the entries (30 µm, 0.215 ± 0.044 mm; 60 µm, 0.172 ± 0.049 mm; 100 µm, 0.119 ± 0.050 mm; p < 0.001) were only affected by the amount of offset. These findings indicate that the accuracy of a surgical guide can be improved by directly sealing the groove of the tooth before manufacturing the surgical guide or setting the offset during the design process.