The use of leucocyte- and platelet-rich fibrin (L-PRF) in periodontal therapy has attracted considerable clinical attention in recent years, on the assumption that its local application may improve the wound-healing process and offer benefits to alveolar-ridge preservation.
A clinical trial, now summarised as JCP Digest 105, put that assumption to the test, comparing the local release pattern of growth factors, early wound healing, and changes in alveolar-ridge dimensions in extraction sockets that received L-PRF for alveolar-ridge preservation and in naturally healing sockets.
The study, performed at the University of Hong Kong, found that L-PRF did not alter the growth-factor profile, although it did provide higher local concentrations in wound fluid. However, this did not translate into enhanced soft-tissue healing or provide any clinical benefit.
The healing pattern did not differ between groups involved in this intra-individual randomised controlled clinical trial, with a five-month follow-up.The researchers said that more studies were needed to clarify the biological activity of the elevated growth-factor concentration in wound fluid when L-PRF is applied and its possible impact on alveolar-ridge preservation.
