A systematic review of the accuracy of digital surgical guides for dental implantation

PURPOSE: This review aimed to reveal the influence of implant guides on surgical accuracy with regard to supporting types, manufacturing methods and design (including fixation screws and sleeves). METHODS: A literature search related to accuracy of surgical guides for dental implantation was performed in Web of Science and PubMed. Studies with in vivo or in vitro deviation data published in recent 5 years (2018–2022) were included and assessed by Newcastle–Ottawa Scale with regard to risk of bias and reliability degree of clinical studies. Accuracy-related deviation data were summarized as forest plots and normal distributions. RESULTS: Forty-one articles were included with high degree of credibility. Data showed that implant surgery accuracy can be achieved with mean distance deviation < 2 mm (most < 1 mm) and angular deviation < 8° (most < 5°). CONCLUSIONS: Bilateral tooth-supported guides exhibited highest in vitro accuracy and similar in vivo accuracy to unilateral tooth-supported guides; mucosa-supported guides exhibit lowest in vivo accuracy, while its in vitro data showed low credibility due to mechanical complexity of living mucosa tissue. Milling exhibited higher in vivo accuracy of guides than 3d-printing, though further data support was needed. Design of fixation screws and sleeves of implant guides affected the surgical accuracy and might remain a research focus in near future. However, lack of universal evaluation standards for implantation accuracy remained a major problem in this field. The influence of implant guides on surgical accuracy revealed in this review might shed light on future development of dental implantology. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40729-023-00507-w.