Platelet Rich Plasma

Platelet rich plasma (PRP) is just what its name suggests - a concentration of your own blood (plasma) that is rich in platelets. This “new” technology was developed by Drs. Robert E. Marx and Arun K. Garg, oral surgeons/researchers at The University of Miami in FL and was published in 1999. Dr. Marx is the world’s leading expert on factors affecting the healing of bone grafts in reconstructive surgery of the jaws. PRP contains seven different growth factors which enhance wound healing in both bone and soft tissues. Its application today extends into all areas of dentistry/medicine/surgery. Dr. Perry was the first surgeon in Dayton to use PRP to enhance wound healing and readily testifies to its amazing benefits for patients’ wound healing.

Why All The Excitement About PRP?
PRP permits the body to take advantage of the normal healing pathways at a greatly accelerated rate. During the healing process, the body rushes many cell-types - including the blood platelets - to the wound to initiate the healing process. Platelets perform many functions, including both the formation of a blood clot and the release of multiple growth factors (GF) into the wound. With PRP these concentrated Growth Factors accelerate the body’s healing process by stimulating stem cells to regenerate new soft or bony tissue. Thus, one can easily see that PRP permits the body to heal more quickly and more efficiently. The research shows an increased healing rate of 43% on average. The PRP inhibits inflammation, thus reducing wound swelling, redness and pain; it also provides more rapid clotting at the surgery site. Thus wounds that have healed for ~10 days typically look like wounds that have healed for almost 3 weeks.

One subtype of the Growth Factors is 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 the bone graft &/or implant site(s), the implant surgeon can now regenerate bone more predictably and more quickly than ever before. The predictable integration of dental implants in bone is enhanced as well.

PRP Has Many Clinical Applications

These applications include using PRP to accelerate healing with dental implants, all types of soft tissue i.e. gingival or gum tissue grafts of the teeth and jaws, and bone grafts of the sinus floor, tooth sockets, and/or jaw ridge areas. Such areas include the repair of bone defects created by bony cysts and the repair of fistulas (openings) between the maxillary sinus cavity and mouth. It is also effective in all surgical disciplines for the treatment of arthritis, tendonitis, and all aspects of bone grafting and soft tissue surgery anywhere in the body. It is even very effective in cosmetic plastic surgery.

PRP Also Has Many Advantages

Safety: PRP is a by-product of the patient’s own blood, therefore, blood-borne disease transmission is not an issue.

Convenience: PRP can be generated in the doctor’s office while the patient is undergoing an outpatient surgical procedure, such as placement of dental implants.

Faster healing: Infusing PRP (concentrated growth factors) into a surgical wound produces an increase of tissue synthesis and thus more rapid wound healing.

Cost effectiveness: Since PRP harvesting is done with only 25 cc of blood in the doctor’s office; the patient need not incur the expense of the harvesting procedure in a hospital or at a blood
bank.

Ease of use: The application of PRP actually improves the handling and manipulation of bone graft materials as PRP has a gel like consistency.

Frequently Asked Questions About PRP

Is PRP safe?
Yes. During an outpatient surgical procedure a small amount of your own blood is drawn from the I.V. site in a sterile syringe. This blood is then placed in sterile tubes, is spun in the PRP centrifuge machine and is fractionated into specific blood layers. In less than 15 minutes, the plasma layer is separated from the red cell layer and is drawn off. Thus the sterile PRP is isolated and is ready to place into the wound at the conclusion of your procedure(s).

Should PRP be used in all bone-grafting cases?
Not always is there is no need for PRP. However, in most cases, the application of PRP to the graft will increase the final amount of bone present in addition to making the wound heal faster and more efficiently. It is especially important to use PRP when multiple grafts &/or implants are placed simultaneously or where there has been greater bone destruction from a failed or infected tooth.

Will my insurance cover the costs?
It usually will not. The cost of the PRP application (approximately $400) is paid for by the patient.

Can PRP be used alone to stimulate bone formation?
No. PRP must be mixed with either the patient’s own bone, a bone graft material such as mineralized freeze-dried tissue bank bone, or a synthetic bone product such as Synthograft (Beta Tri-calcium Phosphate).

Are there any contraindications to PRP?
There are very few contraindications to its use. Obviously, patients with certain bleeding disorders do not qualify for this in-office procedure. Dr. Perry will consult with your primary care physician or specialist to determine if PRP is right for you.