Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Studies have found that the platelet-rich plasma (PRP) can promote bone and soft tissue injury repair, but its effect on the process of bone healing is still controversial.
OBJECTIVE: To contrastively observe the osteogenesis effect of PRP/Bio-Oss/Bio-Gide in the repair process of alveolar bone defect in rabbits, so as to explore the role of PRP in bone healing.
METHODS: Sixteen New Zealand white rabbits were used to establish animal models of critical-size alveolar bone defect. One side was damaged randomly and repaired by PRP/Bio-Oss/Bio-Gide as experimental side, and the other side repaired by Bio-Oss/Bio-Gide as control side. Four animals were executed at each time-point, postoperative weeks 2, 4, 8, 12. Through general observation, X-ray radiograph, Cone Beam CT assessment, histological examination, the osteogenesis effect in the defect region was qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: It could be know from each observation index that as time went on, the experimental and control sides had a different degree of new bone formation and the degradation-absorption of bone graft material. At 12 weeks, continuous cortical bone formation was seen on the surface of the experimental side, new bone formed and tended to be mature, obvious degradation of the bone graft was found, but those in the control side were not as good. At each time-point of 2, 4, 8, 12 weeks, the bone mineral density of the experimental side were lower than that of the control side (P < 0.05), but the percentage of new bone area was 
larger than in the experimental side than the control side (P < 0.05). These findings indicate that the PRP/Bio-Oss/ Bio-Gide has a better osteogenesis effect than the Bio-Oss/Bio-Gide in the repair process of alveolar bone defect in rabbits, and PRP can promote new bone formation and degradation-absorption of Bio-Oss.

Key words: alveolar bone loss, guided tissue regeneration, platelet-rich plasma