Evaluation of the accuracy of fully guided implant placement by undergraduate students and postgraduate dentists: a comparative prospective clinical study

This study aimed to assess the accuracy of implant placement through three-dimensional planning and fully guided insertion, comparing outcomes between undergraduate and postgraduate surgeons.

Thirty-eight patients requiring 42 implants in posterior single-tooth gaps were enrolled from the University Clinic for Prosthodontics at the Martin Luther University Halle Wittenberg and the Department of Prosthodontics, Geriatric Dentistry, and Craniomandibular Disorders of Charité University Medicine, Berlin. Twenty-two implants were placed by undergraduate students (n = 18), while 20 implants were placed by trainee postgraduate dentists (n = 5). Pre-operative intraoral scans and cone beam computed tomography images were performed for implant planning and surgical template fabrication. Postoperative intraoral scans were superimposed onto the original scans to analyze implant accuracy in terms of apical, coronal, and angular deviations, as well as vertical discrepancies.

In the student group, two implant insertions were performed by the assistant dentist because of intraoperative complications and, thus, were excluded from further analysis. For the remaining implants, no statistically significant differences were observed between the dentist and student groups in terms of apical (p = 0.245), coronal (p = 0.745), or angular (p = 0.185) implant deviations, as well as vertical discrepancies (p = 0.433).

This study confirms the viability of fully guided implant placement by undergraduate students, with comparable accuracy to postgraduate dentists. Integration into dental education can prepare students for implant procedures, expanding access and potentially reducing costs in clinical practice. Collaboration is essential for safe implementation, and future research should explore long-term outcomes and patient perspectives, contributing to the advancement of dental education and practice.

Trial registration: DRKS, DRKS00023024, Registered 8 September 2020—Retrospectively registered, https://drks.de/search/de/trial/DRKS00023024.