Influence of the application of platelet-enriched plasma in oral mucosal wound healing

Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe and quantify the therapeutic value of platelet concentrate on the capillary density in oral mucosal wound healing.

Material and methods: The subjects included 10 healthy edentulous patients who underwent bilaterally a sinus floor elevation procedure and a buccal onlay graft with autologous iliac crest bone for maxillary reconstruction. During surgery, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) was prepared from a blood sample taken from the patient. After randomization in a split-mouth design, at one side PRP was administered in the wound and at the contralateral side a placebo. At baseline, microvascular capillary density was scored with the orthogonal polarization spectral (OPS) imaging technique and repeated measurements were performed postoperatively on a daily basis until the tenth day, after which measurements were continued weekly until the fifth postoperative week.

Results: Ten patients, five males and five females, were included in the study with a mean age of 54.2±9.1 years for females and 57.6±6.9 years for males. Donor platelet counts from whole blood had a mean value of 248.5±13.5 × 10⁹/l, while the value of platelet counts in the PRP had a mean of 975.9±97.9 × 10⁹/l. Wound healing was significantly accelerated in the PRP-treated mucosal wounds during the first 10 postoperative days. After the second week, no obvious differences between the PRP or placebo side could be noted.

Conclusion: PRP has a strong stimulant effect on capillary regeneration in wound healing. These effects are mainly noticeable during the early stages of wound healing.