Patient-Centred Comparison: Low-Speed vs. High-Speed Drilling for Dental Implants

SPAIN: A published clinical trial has unveiled fascinating insights into dental implant surgery techniques, placing patient-centered outcomes at the forefront of the discussion. The trial, conducted by Juan Carlos Bernabeu-Mira and his Spanish research team, offers a comprehensive comparison between high-speed drilling with irrigation and low-speed drilling without irrigation for implant bed preparation.

Investigating Patient-Centred Outcomes

The primary objective of the clinical trial was to assess various aspects of patient satisfaction, postoperative experiences, and overall quality of life following implant bed preparation using different drilling techniques.

Sixty-six patients with single edentulous posterior sites were enrolled in this randomised controlled clinical trial. The implant beds were prepared using either high-speed drilling with irrigation (control group) or low-speed drilling without irrigation (test group). Patient experiences were meticulously evaluated over a follow-up period of 7 days.

The trial assessed various elements of patient satisfaction during surgery, including factors like drilling-time perception, vibration, pressure, noise, comfort, and drowning sensation. Interestingly, no statistically significant differences were observed among patient satisfaction in terms of drilling-time perception, vibration, pressure, and noise between the two groups.

A Drowning Sensation Correlation

However, a notable correlation emerged. Patients who experienced the highest levels of drowning sensation also reported the lowest comfort levels during surgery. This correlation indicates the importance of addressing drowning sensation to enhance patient comfort.

The clinical trial also delved into the realm of postoperative experiences. Patients in the control group, who underwent high-speed drilling with irrigation, experienced significantly higher levels of postoperative pain and inflammation compared to their counterparts in the test group.

Importantly, no significant differences in quality of life were observed during the postoperative period between the two drilling techniques. This suggests that despite the disparities in patient satisfaction and postoperative experiences, overall quality of life remained unaffected.

Further Studies Required

While this clinical trial provides intriguing insights into patient-centered outcomes in implant bed preparation, further studies are warranted to validate or refute these findings. The dental community eagerly anticipates more research in this domain, as patient comfort and well-being remain paramount in the world of dentistry.