PRF / PRP APPLICATIONS
"Platelet Rich Fibrin", or PRF for short, is the gel-like fraction of the blood obtained after the patient's own blood is drawn and centrifuged at a specific speed and for a specific time, without any substance being added. It contains a high concentration of growth factors, and since these are entirely the growth factors found in the person's own blood, it is completely natural.
Since the 1970s it has been known that platelets accelerate wound healing, increase collagen production, play a role in cell proliferation, increase vascularisation and enable other cells to migrate to the wound site more quickly.
For these reasons, certain platelet concentrates are used as surgical adjuncts during operations. These platelet adjuncts are in some cases PRF and in others PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma). PRF and PRP are referred to in the literature as bioactive surgical additives.
PRP is the first platelet concentrate encountered in the oral surgery literature. Over time, however, it became clear that the extra benefit obtained did not justify the labour and time involved. Its preparation procedure takes much longer than that of PRF.
PRF first appeared in the literature in 2001, particularly in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Preparing this new-generation platelet concentrate is a single-step process and requires no chemical additives. It therefore uses only the growth factors and cells from the patient's own blood.
Our body has the ability to heal itself after any injury or illness. This ability depends first of all on an adequate blood supply, because the first cells to arrive at a wound are the platelets in the blood, and the entire healing process runs on the scaffold these platelets create. Here, by drawing the patient's own blood and separating most of the liquid fraction by centrifugation, we obtain a platelet-rich structure with a high concentration of growth factors.
PRF is used especially beneath the incision area in bone surgery, mixed with bone graft material where grafts are used, during sinus lift procedures, during gum operations, inside the extraction socket after tooth removal, and around the implant during implant operations.
PRF is by no means a mandatory part of treatment. It is a treatment adjunct used when the doctor deems it appropriate.
First, the amount of blood determined by the doctor is drawn from the patient. The blood is centrifuged in a special centrifuge at the speed and duration the doctor requires. This yields a platelet concentrate rich in white blood cells and growth factors. The concentrate is then used whole, divided or compressed into the required shape, depending on the area and purpose of use. Since it is obtained from the patient's own blood and can be applied quickly, it is a very safe and fast method.
