Radiologic-prosthetic planning of the surgical phase of the treatment of edentulism by osseointegrated implants: an in vitro study.

An original prosthetic planning involving CT scan is described; it provides the surgeon with a template for use during the surgical phase of osseointegrated implant treatment. The final prosthodontic reconstruction was planned in a preliminary in vitro study. The CT scan provided a three-dimensional study of the underlying bone, to determine the position, angulation, and depth of the fixture to be used. The specially developed "positioner" decreased the possibilities of error in perforating the mandible. A second CT scan verified whether there were errors in positioning the fixtures. The satisfactory results and the predictability of the final rehabilitation led to the adoption of this method in a clinical research program on human patients.