Due to the continuous search for ways to improve healing within the dental field, different bioactive surgical additives have been developed and used to achieve great results.

PRF (Platelet Rich Fibrin) has proven to be the best biomaterial to aid in the healing process due to its biocompatibility and characteristics, and is therefore commonly used in procedures such as implant surgery and bone grafting.

In this article, we’ll discuss the characteristics of PRF and how it can help your patients heal faster.

What exactly is PRF, and how it is obtained?

PRF is a biomaterial that consists of a fibrin clot containing platelets.

It is obtained through high-speed centrifugation (“spinning”) of the patient’s blood in a test tube. After a few minutes, it turns into a biodegradable scaffold containing numerous healing cells such as growth factors, platelets, and cytokines.

Therefore, it helps guide epithelial cell migration, promoting healing and inducing regeneration on both hard and soft tissues.

How is it made?

One of PRF’s most outstanding characteristics is that it is easy, quick, and low-cost to produce. During a consultation, a blood sample is taken from the patient by either the doctor or the nurse.

This sample is quickly put into test tubes and taken to a centrifuge machine. The activation time and speed will vary depending on the PRF's consistency desired by the dentist and the protocol he decides to use.

The centrifugation process will induce the coagulation process. Therefore, resulting in a special clot with three highly differentiated layers.

• Upper layer: Acellular plasma (PPP)
• Middle layer: Strongly polymerized Fibrin clot (PRF)
• Lower layer: Red corpuscle base (Blood cells)

What makes this clot special?  

Due to its architecture, it can easily connect different elements in tissues for a better outcome. Moreover, each fibrin clot concentrates 97% of the platelets and more than 50% of the leukocytes presented in a 9ml blood sample. Therefore, each clot is fully packed with elements that enhance healing.

Multiple studies have shown that growth factor starts releasing from the clot up to 3 to 5 hours after centrifugation. Its architecture can also help carry mesenchymal cells and allow them to differentiate and proliferate, aiding and accelerating healing.

Applications

PRF is a versatile material that can be used in various ways according to the needs of the procedure. It can be applied as a clot, an injectable liquid, a plug, and a membrane, which can be used as a whole or in fragments.

Most common applications: 

1.    Stand-alone therapies: Used as a plug or membrane inside tooth sockets after extraction to improve healing, seal off oroantral communications, close palatal connective tissue harvesting site, and more.

2.    Additive therapies: It can be mixed with bone substitutes to enhance the formation of new bone.

3.    Combination therapies: It can be applied as a protective barrier on bone graft sites to prevent contamination of the graft.

Conclusively, using PRF will help you improve and accelerate the healing process. Its characteristics make it an excellent material to use in a wide variety of scenarios and since all of its components are entirely produced by the patient’s body, there’s no risk of rejection.