Non-Radiological Method for Fabrication of a Screw-Channel Drilling Guide in Cement-Retained Implant Restorations Using Intraoral Digital Scanning and Imaging Superimposition: A Clinical Report

The difficulty of retrieving the abutment screw is a major disadvantage of cement-retained implant restorations. Conventional methods for locating the screw-access hole are based largely on radiography or manual labor, which limits accuracy and clinical feasibility. This clinical report describes a non-radiological method for fabricating an accurate drilling guide for location of the screw channel using intraoral optical scanning, 3D superimposition, and computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technologies. The present technique not only improves the guide fabrication process and the accuracy of screw-channel drilling, but also has wide indications for implant restorations.