Various techniques have been proposed for the fabrication of surgical guide templates in implant dentistry. The objective of this paper is to review the associated literature and recent advancements in this field, based on design concept. An electronic and hand search of the literature revealed 3 categories, namely, nonlimiting, partially limiting, and completely limiting design. Most clinicians still adopt the partially limiting design due to its cost-effectiveness and credibility. Moreover, clinicians use cross-sectional imaging during the preimplant assessment of surgical sites.

Introduction

Recent studies on the clinical success of dental implants have indicated a high implant survival rate.¹  Nevertheless, the inadvertent association of most surgical and prosthetic complications with improper diagnosis and implant placement has also been documented.² These factors play a crucial role in the long-term predictability and success of implant prosthetics. Surgical guide templates not only assist in diagnosis and treatment planning but also facilitate proper positioning and angulation of the implants in the bone.³ Moreover, restoration-driven implant placement accomplished with a surgical guide template can decrease clinical and laboratory complications.⁴ Hence, increasing demand for dental implants has resulted in the development of newer and advanced techniques for the fabrication of these templates.

Discussion

Surgical guide template fabrication involves a diagnostic tooth arrangement through one of the following ways:

1. a diagnostic waxing
2. a trial denture teeth arrangement
3. the duplication of a preexisting dentition/restoration⁵

The fabrication of the surgical guide templates is then based on one of the following design concepts⁶:

1. Nonlimiting design
2. Partially limiting design
3. Completely limiting design

These design concepts are classified based on the amount of surgical restriction offered by the surgical guide templates.