use of growth factors

Growth factors play an important role in healing.

There has been recent focus in the past few decades on using different types of growth factors to favorably influence healing. A common use of these is using the patient’s own blood to harvest platelets and white blood cells to maximize wound healing and bone grafting success.

Platelets are known to have several growth factors. Researchers have been incorporating platelets in wound healing to see if the release of these growth factors into a wound can improve healing. A number of recent published studies have promoted the benefits of platelet rich fibrin in wisdom teeth extraction sites.

In the 1990s, oral surgeons began using a platelet preparation called platelet rich plasma or PRP. It used blood placed in a centrifuge to create a platelet preparation that contained a ‘supra-physiologic’ dose of platelets to be applied to a wound site. One drawback of this method was it’s higher cost, a preparation time lasting over 30 minutes (sometimes up to an hour), and the need to use unnatural anticoagulants (bovine thrombin or calcium chloride) to make the PRP gel. These added anticoagulants are known to have a negative effect on wound healing.

A second generation preparation of platelets was introduced by a French physician. It is called platelet rich fibrin or PRF. It is an all natural platelet concentrate made and contains no anticoagulants. The PRF contains both platelets and white blood cells trapped in a fibrin matrix. The white blood cells improve the immune system defense against pathogens, but also secrete growth factors which support tissue regeneration.

PRF is entirely natural and prepared chairside in minutes and is easily be incorporated into your surgical procedure. Some advantages of this newer platelet concentrate over its PRP predecessor is less time required, the product is all natural, there is less blood needed to make PRF, the PRF yields a greater quantity of platelets, and PRF has a more slow release of growth factors it releases up to 10 to 14 days after placement. It’s primary effect has been on accelerating speed of soft tissue healing but it has many applications in the modern oral and maxillofacial surgery and implant practice.