Aim: The aim of this randomised controlled clinical trial was to compare the incidence of bacteraemia in conventional and computer-assisted flapless implant surgery.

Materials and methods: Following the recruitment of suitable 64 patients with at least one edentulous jaw, a total of 372 implants were placed using the conventional (conventional group) or stereolithographic template-guided flapless surgery techniques (flapless group). I.V. blood samples taken prior to the surgery and 15 min and 24 h after the surgery were inoculated to aerobic and anaerobic cultures for the detection of bacteraemia. The incidence of bacteraemia in relation with the surgical duration, patients’ age, gender and the number of implants placed was analyzed with the t -test, McNemars and Fishers’ exact test ( p < 0.05).

Results: The mean surgical duration in the conventional group (63.40 ± 26.7 min) was significantly longer than the flapless group (32.97 ± 11.95 min); ( p < .000). Prior to the surgery no bacteria was isolated. However Viridans streptococci , Bifidobacteria , MS S. epidermidis , Corynebacteria , MSKNS and Streptococcus sanguis were isolated 15 min after the placement of the last implant (60% and 22% of the blood samples in the conventional and flapless groups respectively; relative risk: 3.3; p < .002.). In both groups, Viridans streptococci (16.6%) and MS S. epidermidis (16.6%) were also isolated after 24 h.

Conclusion: As opposed to the conventional implant surgery, flapless placement of multiple implants (4–8) via a stereolithographic surgical guide may prevent bacteraemia.

Conflict of interest: None declared.