Abstract
Ideal implant placement may reduce surgical complications, such as nerve injury and lingual cortical plate perforation, and minimize the likelihood of functional and prosthetic compromises. Guided implant surgery [GIS] has been used as the means to achieve ideal implant placement. GIS refers to the process of digital planning, custom-guide fabrication, and implant placement using the custom guide and an implant system-specific guided surgery kit. GIS includes numerous additional steps beyond the initial prosthetic diagnosis, treatment planning, and fabrication of surgical guides. Substantial errors can occur at each of these individual steps and can accumulate, significantly impacting the final accuracy of the process with potentially disastrous deviations from proper implant placement. Pertinent overall strategies to reduce or eliminate these risks can be summarized as follows: complete understanding of the possible risks is fundamental; knowledge of the systems and tools used is essential; consistent verification of both diagnostic and surgical procedures after each step is crucial; proper training and surgical experience are critical. This review article summarizes information on the accuracy and efficacy of GIS, provides insight on the potential risks and problems associated with each procedural step, and offers clinically relevant recommendations to minimize or eliminate these risks.