Clinical and radiographic evaluation of the efficacy of platelet-rich plasma combined with hydroxyapatite bone graft substitutes in the treatment of intrabony defects in maxillofacial region.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) clinically and radiographically when combined with bovine derived Hydroxyapatite (HA) bone grafting materials and resorbable collagen membranes for the treatment of intrabony defects frequently seen at the distal aspect of mandibular second molars following the surgical extraction of fully impacted mandibular wisdom teethThis study was conducted on 18 patients who referred to the Gazi University, Faculty of Dentistry department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, for surgical removal of their bilateral, fully impacted wisdom teeth. Patients who had any systemic disease and/or smoking habit were excluded from this studyAfter simultaneous extraction of both wisdom teeth using standart surgical technique, the extraction socket on one side was grafted with a combination of PRP and HA, while the other side was grafted with HA alone and served as control. Following the grafting procedure, both sockets were covered with a resorbable collagen membrane in order to maintain guided tissue regeneration. Flaps were returned to their original positions and closed by primary intensionAll patients were scheduled for postoperative visits at 1, 3 and 6 months postoperatively, probing depths were measured and digital panoramic radiographs taken at those time intervals were then transferred to an image analysis software for computer-aided evaluation of bone regeneration. Both groups showed optimal periodontal healing but on the other hand, statistical analysis revealed no significant difference on probing depths among two groups. Radiographic assessment also showed no significant difference among groups at 1st and 6th month intervals, while 3 months postoperatively the amount of radiographic density at the PRP side was significantly higherThe results of this study indicate that radiological assessment of bone healing via digital panoramic images and image analysis softwares is an easy and cost-effective method, and combined used of PRP and bovine-derived HA graft materials for the treatment of intrabony defects might be an appropriate approach when the main goal is providing earlier bone regenerationKeywords: Platelet-rich plasma, hydroxyapatite, bone healing, digital panoramic radiography.