Conclusions
For novice practitioners, using a CAD/CAM surgical guide for the first implant placement may significantly reduce the potential distance and angular deviations compared with freehand surgery, and may reach a comparable accuracy with that of specialists. For simple single molar implantation, the surgical guide may not be significantly helpful for experienced specialists. The digital registration method showed predictable advantages and promising potential in the large-scale implantation accuracy evaluation. Further studies in vivo, a comparison between static guide and dynamic navigation by novices and specialists, as well as the efficiency and efficacy assessment of the digital registration method in clinical practice are still required in the future.