The importance of taking periapical radiographs during implant placement surgery

Abstract

Treatment planning is considered one of the main factors in determining implant success. Despite the development of tomograms with cross-sectional views, conventional image techniques such as periapical radiographs have been useful for oral surgeons to evaluate the conditions for implant placement surgery. Figure 1: Clinical view of the parallel pin (case 1). The role played by radiographic methods in the preoperative planning of implant surgeries is well known. Simple imaging techniques such as panoramic and periapical radiographs can be used to project the position of the implant body, and its proximity to other structures, such as the mandibular canal and adjacent teeth, in order to make a complicated surgery more predictable. Periapical films are also well suited for the intrasurgical evaluation of the implant placement procedure, as well as the longitudinal assessment of implants. The lack of distortion and ability to standardize projection geometry enables these films to be used in conjunction with several different linear, digital, and subtraction radiography techniques.