Free excerpt - SAC Classification in Implant Dentistry

5 PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE SAC ASSESSMENT TOOL

5.1. Introduction

Every patient’s dental situation is a unique circumstance with the treatment approach customized to fit their needs. At the core of the SAC classification is its ability to assist in categorizing the overall treatment risk and difficulty based on the clinical factors presented by the patient prior to the initiation of care. The ability to evaluate the patient from a restorative and surgical perspective aids the clinician and/ or treatment team in generating a comprehensive approach to treatment, and in some situations, it assists in identifying the appropriate clinician for providing care. In addition, the patient’s SAC classification can be a valuable communica- tion tool between the treatment team and their patient(s) as well as for educational content and events (study clubs, CE courses, webinars, publications, in-person implant meet- ings, etc).

In an effort to make this classification system streamlined, easily accessible, and utilizable online, the interactive SAC Assessment Tool was created (see Chapter 4). The SAC Assessment Tool allows the user to answer specific questions related to the patient and their planned treat- ment, after which the overall assessment is generated along with available learning resources in the ITI Online Academy specific to that assessment. In addition, the SAC Assess- ment Tool was recently redesigned to identify critical and subcritical clinical factors that could negatively influence treatment outcomes and develop algorithms to influence the designation of overall treatment difficulty. This chapter highlights a variety of clinical scenarios authored by ITI Fellows that utilized the SAC Assessment Tool during the evaluation and planning process, followed by their treat- ment approach and reflection during follow-up visits.

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The SAC Classification in Implant Dentistry