Platelet Rich Plasma | Platelet Rich Growth Factor | L-PRF

An Overview

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) or Platelet Rich in Growth Factors (PRGF-Endoret, BTI) is a by-product of blood (plasma) that is rich in platelets. PRP or PRGF permits the body to take advantage of the normal healing pathways at a greatly accelerated rate. L-PRF is a 3-D autogenous combination of Platelet Rich Fibrin derived from the patient’s blood and an alternative concept.

During the healing process, the body rushes many cells and cell-types to the wound in order to initiate the healing process. One of those cell types is platelets. Platelets perform many functions, including the formation of a blood clot and the release of growth factors (GF) into the wound. These function to assist the body in repairing itself by stimulating stem cells to regenerate new tissue. The more growth factors released sequestered into the wound, the more stem cells stimulated to produce new host tissue. Thus, PRP permits the body to heal faster and more efficiently. The following is a shortlist of the growth factors found in the platelets.

Frequently asked questions about PRP/PRGF:

Q: Is PRP/PRGF safe?
A: Yes. During the outpatient surgical procedure, a small amount of your own blood is drawn out via the IV. This blood is then placed in the PRP centrifuge machine and spun down. In less than fifteen minutes, the PRP is formed and ready to use.

Q: Should PRP/PRGF be used in all bone-grafting cases?
A: Not always. In some cases, there is no need for PRP. However, in the majority of cases, the application of PRP/PRGF to the graft area can increase the final amount of bone present in addition to making the wound heal faster and more efficiently. The key aspect is the ability of the growth factors to increase substantially the soft tissue wound healing thereby creating a well-closed incision and thus improving the healing process.

Q: Will my insurance cover the costs?
A: Unfortunately not. The cost of the PRP/PRGF application (approximately $350) is paid by the patient.

Q: Can PRP/PRGF be used alone to stimulate bone formation?
A: No. PRP/PRGF must be mixed with either the patient’s own bone, a bone substitute material such as demineralized freeze-dried bone, or a synthetic bone product, such as BIO-OSS.

Q: Are there any contraindications to PRP/PRGF?
A: Very few. Obviously, patients with bleeding disorders or hematologic diseases do not qualify for this in-office procedure. Check with your surgeon and/or primary care physician to determine if PRP/PRGF is right for you.

Details

Platelet Rich Plasma | Platelet Rich Growth Factor | L-PRF

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) or Platelet Rich in Growth Factors (PRGF-Endoret, BTI) is exactly what its name suggests. The substance is a by-product of blood (plasma) that is rich in platelets. Until now, its use has been confined to the hospital setting. This was due mainly to the cost of separating the platelets from the blood (thousands) and a large amount of blood needed (one unit) to produce a suitable quantity of platelets. New technology permits the doctor to harvest and produce a sufficient quantity of platelets from only 55 cc of blood drawn from the patient while they are having outpatient surgery. L-PRF is a simplified chairside procedure that results in the production of a thin, compressed layer of platelet rich fibrin that is strong, pliable, and suitable for most surgical procedures. The natural fibrin network is rich in platelets, growth factors, and cytokines that are derived from the blood platelets and leukocytes. The presence of these proteins has been reported to produce rapid healing, especially during the critical first seven days after placement.

Why Is PRP an Exciting Medical Advance?

PRP, PRGF, L-PRF permits the body to take advantage of the normal healing pathways at a greatly accelerated rate. During the healing process, the body rushes many cells and cell-types to the wound in order to initiate the healing process. One of those cell types is platelets. Platelets perform many functions, including the formation of a blood clot and the release of growth factors (GF) into the wound. These GF (platelet-derived growth factors PGDF, transforming growth factor-beta TGF, and insulin-like growth factor ILGF) function to assist the body in repairing itself by stimulating stem cells to regenerate new tissue. The more growth factors released sequestered into the wound, the more stem cells stimulated to produce new host tissue. Thus, one can easily see that PRP permits the body to heal faster and more efficiently.

PRP/PRGF/L-PRF is easy to handle and actually improves the ease of application of bone substitute materials and bone grafting products.

A subfamily of TGF, is a bone morphogenic protein (BMP). BMP has been shown to induce the formation of new bone in research studies in animals and humans. This is of great significance to the surgeon who places dental implants. By adding PRP, and thus BMP, to the implant site with bone substitute particles, the implant surgeon can now grow bone more predictably and faster than ever before.

PRP has many clinical applications:

  • Bone grafting for dental implants. This includes onlay and inlay grafts, sinus lift procedures, ridge augmentation procedures, and closure of cleft, lip and palate defects.
  • Repair of bone defects creating by removal of teeth or small cysts
  • Repair of fistulas between the sinus cavity and mouth

PRP also has many advantages:

  • Safety: PRP/PRGF is a by-product of the patients own blood, therefore, disease transmission is not an issue.
  • Convenience: PRP/PRGF can be generated in the doctors office while the patient is undergoing an outpatient surgical procedure, such as placement of dental implants.
  • Faster healing: The supersaturation of the wound with PRP, and thus growth factors, produces an increase of tissue synthesis and thus faster tissue regeneration.
  • Cost effectiveness: Since PRP/PRGF harvesting is done with only 55 cc of blood in the doctors office, the patient need not incur the expense of the harvesting procedure in hospital or at the blood bank.
  • Ease of use: PRP/PRGF is easy to handle and actually improves the ease of application of bone substitute materials and bone grafting products by making them more gel-like.