Introduction: Implant surgical stents are essential in guiding osteotomy drills to ensure precise implant placement. The adoption of computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing technologies in stent production has led to the widespread use of both the milled and three-dimensional (3D) printed methods. However, the effect of autoclave sterilization on the dimensional accuracy of these stents has not been thoroughly investigated. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the dimensional accuracy of milled versus 3D printed implant surgical stents before and after autoclave sterilization using metrology software to assess alterations in intaglio surface morphology. Materials and Methods: A total of 40 implant surgical stents were created: 20 through subtractive milling and 20 via stereolithography 3D printing. Each stent was scanned both before and after sterilization using an intraoral scanner. The sterolithography (STL) files were examined using metrology software to determine dimensional deviations by calculating root mean square (RMS) values at various points on the intaglio surface. Statistical differences were assessed using a two-way repeated measures analysis of variance and one-sample t -test (α =0.05). Results: Postautoclaving milled stents exhibited significantly lower RMS deviations compared to 3D printed stents ( P < 0.001). While most deviations were within the clinically acceptable ranges, 3D printed stents showed statistically significant changes, particularly in the buccal and incisal areas. Conclusion: Autoclaving resulted in noticeable distortions in both milled and 3D printed stents, with more pronounced changes in the 3D printed group. The milled stents demonstrated greater dimensional stability after sterilization. However, the extent of deformation is unlikely to affect the clinical outcomes in most scenarios.
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Swami et al. (2026) studied this question.
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