Surgical Stent
A custom-fabricated acrylic or resin device used intraoperatively to guide implant placement, osteotomy positioning, or bone recontouring according to a pre-planned surgical design.
Full Definition
A surgical stent (also called a surgical guide or surgical template) is a rigid device constructed from the pre-operative treatment plan or digital workflow to transfer planned positions of implants, osteotomies, or anatomical corrections into the operative field. In implant dentistry, surgical stents guide drill angulation and depth; in orthognathic surgery, wafers or occlusal stents establish the planned jaw position. Editors must note that 'stent' in oral surgery refers to a surgical guide device and must not be confused with its cardiovascular use (an intraluminal tube to maintain vessel patency). The two meanings are industry-specific and context determines the correct interpretation.
Usage
Usage note: In oral surgery contexts, 'stent' means a surgical guide. Flag any usage that may be ambiguous when documents are shared with multidisciplinary teams unfamiliar with the dental usage.
In Context
- "The digital surgical stent was fabricated from the CBCT-derived virtual plan and used intraoperatively to guide implant placement in the edentulous posterior mandible." — Operative Report
- "Editors working across medical specialties must recognise that 'stent' in an oral surgery operative note refers to a surgical guide, not a vascular device." — Cross-Specialty Editorial Training Guide