The "ABCD" implant classification a comprehensive philosophy for treatment planning in completely edentulous arches.
A thorough and precise treatment planning taking into consideration various factors such as age, availability of bone, inter arch space for prosthesis design, smile line, lip support, patient desires and economics is a necessity before implant surgery. A lot of previous classification systems for treatment planning in edentulous situations tend to focus on only a certain parameter such as aesthetics, available bone volume or are specifically designed for the maxilla or mandible. The authors have proposed a simplified and universal ABCD classification which uses the four vital parameters of age, bone volume, cosmetic display and degree of resorption to create an algorithm that satisfies the treatment needs of every patient. Various permutations of the four parameters can be utilized to arrive at a solution that streamlines the further phases of the rehabilitative process. The aim of the present article is to provide a science driven approach to understand a patient's individual needs with careful attention to the interplay of all the above mentioned factors in the decision making process.
The Journal of oral implantology