Does PRP enhance healing after surgery with Emdogain + Bio-Oss?

Background: Regenerative periodontal surgery utilizing a combination of Emdogain (EMD) (Straumann, Basel, Switzerland) and Bio-Oss (NBM) (Geistlich,Wolhusen, Switzerland) has been shown to promote periodontal regeneration. The use of platelet rich plasma (PRP) in combination with different types of bone substitutes has also been demonstrated to enhance the clinical outcomes following regenerative surgery. However, at the time being it is unknown whether root conditioning with EMD followed by defect fill with a combination of EMD + PRP may additionally enhance the clinical outcomes. Aim: To clinically compare treatment of deep intrabony defects either EMD + NBM + PRP to EMD + NBM. Materials and Methods: Twenty six patients suffering from advanced chronic periodontal disease, and each of whom displayed one advanced intrabony defect were randomly treated with a combination of either EMD + NBM + PRP (test) or EMD + NBM (control). Clinical parameters were evaluated at baseline and at 1 year after treatment. The primary outcome variable was CAL. Results: Healing was uneventful in all patients. At 1 year after therapy the test sites showed a reduction in mean probing depth (PD) from 8.8 ± 1.9 mm to 3.1 ± 0.9 mm (p < 0.001) and a change in mean clinical attachment level (CAL) from 10.8 ± 2.0 mm to 6.0 ± 1.5 mm (p < 0.001). In the control group mean PD was reduced from 8.8 ± 2.0 mm to 2.8 ± 1.6 mm (p < 0.001) and the mean CAL changed from 10.5 ± 1.6 mm to 5.5 ± 1.4 mm (p < 0.001). No statistically significant differences in any of the investigated parameters were observed between the two groups. Conclusions: The use of PRP has failed to enhance the results obtained with EMD + NBM.