Objective: To compare accuracy, duration of drilling and accumulation of bone chips between low-speed drilling and conventional drilling in freehand implant placement surgery.
Methods: The implant surgery procedures were performed using identical drill bits on pig ribs in the low-speed drilling group and the conventional drilling group. CBCT images of the preoperative implant design and postoperative implant positions were compared by using the space vector formula to calculate the angular deviation of the implants between the two groups, as well as the horizontal and vertical deviations of the implant necks and roots. The duration of the procedure was recorded, and the bone chips were collected and compared using a screening method and scanning electron microscopy.
Results: There were no significant differences in any of the four primary outcome variables relating to accuracy between the low-speed and conventional drilling methods. However, the results revealed that the length of the procedure differed significantly between the two groups and more large bone fragments could be collected when performing low-speed drilling.
Conclusion: Low-speed drilling does not affect the accuracy of implant nest preparation, but it can harvest large bone chips which may have better osteogenic activity. Low-speed drilling could be an alternative to conventional drilling.