SP-15 - 3D Guided Endodontics: A Chair-side Analysis of Clinical Feasibility

The Dentist's quest for safer, less invasive, and more cost-efficient procedures has come a long way and continues to move forward at an unprecedented pace. The increased diagnostic information provided with the advent of CBCT has been proven to provide more accurate diagnosis and improved decision making for the management of complex endodontic problems. However, the execution of treatment ultimately lies at the discretion of the operator’s skill and experience with freehand dentistry. Three-dimensional printed surgical guides (i. e. “Static” navigation) for implant placement have been around since the early 2000’s. However, its application in Endodontics has been crippled due to factors like extensive pre-planning protocols, inability to use it with a high-speed hand-piece and limited inter-occlusal distance to accommodate the guides. On the other hand, computer/CT assisted “dynamic” navigation may be able to overcome these limitations and enable clinicians perform modern minimally invasive procedures with less uncertainty and more consistency. Dynamic guided navigation promises to unlock new synergies and can be an effective treatment tool providing Endodontists with the right information in real time.