Comparative evaluation of platelet-rich fibrin biomaterial and open flap debridement in the treatment of two and three wall intrabony defects

Background: Platelet-rich concentrates are the most widely used regenerative biomaterials. Stimulation and acceleration of soft and hard tissue healing are due to local and continuous delivery of growth factors and proteins, mimicking the needs of the physiological wound healing and reparative tissue processes. This article aims to evaluate the clinical efficacy of open flap debridement (OFD) with or without platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) in the treatment of intrabony defects.

Materials and methods: Twenty subjects with forty intrabony defects were treated with either autologous PRF with open-flap debridement (test, n = 20) or open-flap debridement alone (control, n = 20). Soft tissue parameters included: Plaque index, sulcus bleeding index, probing depth, relative attachment level and gingival marginal level (GML). The hard tissue parameters included-distances from: Cement enamel junction to the base of the defect (CEJ-BOD): Alveolar crest to the base of the defect (AC-BOD): And CEJ to AC. The parameters were recorded at baseline and at 9 months postoperatively calculated using standardized radiographs by image-analysis software.

Results: Statistically significant (0.005*) intragroup improvements were seen with all the hard and soft parameters in both test and control groups, except for GML. Statistically significant improvements were seen with the mean defect fill (CEJ-BOD and AC-BOD) (P = 0.003*) when intergroup comparisons were made.

Conclusions: Adjunctive use of PRF with OFD significantly improves defect fill when compared to OFD alone. PRF has consistently been showing regenerative potential; it is simple, easy and inexpensive biomaterial compared with bone grafts.