What You Need to Know When Comparing 3D Navigation Systems for Placing Dental Implants
At first glance, most image navigation systems for placing dental implants look quite similar.
Looks can be deceiving. Here is what you need to know:
Tracking Systems
IGI Uses Active Tracking:
The IGI system features LEDs (light emitting diodes) enabling it to work at the speed of light with no observable lag or skipping so you always know the position of your drill.
Other Systems Use Passive Tracking:
Most other 3D navigation systems use passive tracking systems, which utilize a video camera to track patterns on the handpiece and patient tracker.
This requires computationally-heavy computer algorithms for even the slightest movement, causing a significant lag when comparing the actual drill location, angle, and depth to what you see on the screen.
Passive tracking systems are typically utilized in other fields of medicine, where the requirement for accuracy is much less than in dental implant surgery.
See this screenshot of the IGI field-of-view. The lower right array is the patient-tracker. There is no ambiguity as to the location of the handpiece or tracker.
NOTE: You can test a system’s tracking fluency by dragging the handpiece from molar to contra-lateral molar. Plus you can test the onscreen tracking (both on the mandible and maxilla) by moving the handpiece while looking at the screen. Simply move the handpiece quickly from one spot to a new spot 5 cm away.
IGI Camera
The IGI’s proprietary camera has a wide field-of-view to follow the IGI drill without losing the on-screen image during surgery.
Its proprietary camera and active LED tracking system have been specially engineered for dental implant surgeries. IGI has been demonstrated to be the most accurate system on the market.
Accuracy
Video tracking systems have been documented to have deviations in their drill location of more than 3 millimeters. Published records show one of these systems has an average deviation of “better than 2 millimeters”.
The IGI system with its active LED tracking technology and proprietary camera provides pinpoint accuracy and real-time reliability during surgery. IGI has been shown to have an accuracy of 0.35 mm +/- 0.14.
Characteristics of the IGI system include a wide field of view, real-time tracking (no “lag”) and on-screen fluency (no jumps in position). The IGI camera has been specially designed to follow the IGI drill without losing the image on the screen during surgery.
Ergonomics
The IGI camera can conveniently be repositioned. The IGI patient-tracker is flat, small and out-of-the-way.
This compares favorably with systems that have a fixed-position camera, or a barrel-shaped or large patient-tracker which can block your view or block your hands from the normal working position.
IGI has been demonstrated to be the most accurate system on the market
Accuracy
Tracking fluency
Hand piece ergonomics and ease of vision
Real-time tracking
Flexible working angles
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