Evolution of surgical guidance in implant dentistry.

UNLABELLED: The optimal positioning of oral implants ensures good biomechanical, functional, aesthetic and phonetic results.The concept of surgical guidance in implant dentistry has been developed to bridge the gap between pre-operative treatment planning and surgical site preparation.This article discusses its evolution, from the early surgical guide systems which used only diagnostic casts as reference, to the latest in computer-assisted navigation. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Surgical guidance allows the accurate transfer of information from the pre-operative treatment planning phase to the surgical field. It assists the operator in placing the implant in the most ideal position and angulations, with regards to the final prosthesis.