Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p>Purpose To describe a digital workflow in which published greater palatine artery (GPA) safety zone values are mapped onto a patient's palatal model using an open-source software tool, enabling chairside fabrication of a printed harvesting guide without cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods A full-arch maxillary intraoral scan was imported into a dedicated software tool compatible with 3Shape Dental Designer and Exocad. After the clinician marked palatal cervical landmarks, the software computed a harvesting window from the tooth-specific weighted mean CEJ-to-GPA distances reported by Tavelli et al., adjusted by one standard deviation and a 2 mm gingival margin offset. The geometry was exported as an STL file, integrated into a guide design, and fabricated by digital light processing. The workflow is illustrated through connective tissue graft harvesting for tunnel technique root coverage at tooth 23. Results The printed guide seated passively without adjustment. Harvesting incisions were performed within the planned boundaries with the blade maintained in contact with the guide borders. The GPA was not encountered and no bleeding complications occurred. Palatal healing was uneventful at 7 and 14 days. Conclusion This workflow offers a radiation-free, reproducible means of transferring population-level evidence into the surgical field. It does not localize the artery per patient but may provide a more systematic alternative to manual estimation. Clinical relevance Per-patient vascular imaging is rarely justified for routine harvesting, and ultrasound and dedicated MRI are unavailable in most practices. This workflow applies existing evidence systematically using only a routine intraoral scan and a desktop printer, making it applicable in everyday clinical settings.</p>