BACKGROUND:Precise placement of dental implants is necessary to identify a predictable restoration outcome and to ensure a good osseointegration.
<br> OBJECTIVE:To summarize and introduce the classification, fabrication and clinic application of surgical implant guides, especialy focusing on computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacture (CAD/CAM) implant guides.
<br> METHODS:A computer-based search was performed in the CNKI database and PubMed database for articles addressing the fabrication and clinical applications of surgical implant guides published from 2000 to 2014. The key words were “surgical implant guide, accuracy, rapid prototype, CAD/CAM” in English and Chinese, respectively.
<br> RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The surgical implant guide consists of dril guide and positioning plate. The position, angle and depth of pre-operative planning implant are recorded by the dril guide that can transfer the pre-operative information intraoperatively in order to improve the precise placement of implant. The positioning plate plays a positioning action, which fits the surface of bone, tooth and alveolar crest. Surgical implant guide can improve the outcome of restoration, in particular, CAD/CAM implant guide cannot only enhance the outcome and stress distribution of restoration, but also reduce the operation risk and simplify the operation process. However, the implant guide is expensive and has some deficiencies, which need in-depth research to lower the cost as wel as to improve the clinical effects.