Effectiveness of PRF alone versus PRF plus biphasic calcium phosphate as a scaffold for gingival mesenchymal stem cells in induced vertical alveolar ridge defects.

This research evaluated the effectiveness of platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) membrane alone versus the combined use of PRF membrane and biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) block as a scaffold for gingival mensenchymal stem cells (GMSCs) in treatment of induced vertical alveolar ridge defects. Three standardized saddle-type defects were created in 10 adult mongrel dogs. Following a 4-week recuperation period, the defects were randomly assigned to one of three groups based on the treatment protocol: group I: defects augmented with only PRF membranes loaded with GMSCs, group II: treated with a combination of PRF membranes loaded with GMSCs and BCP block, and group III: treated with PRF membranes not loaded with GMSCs in addition to BCP block. After four months of augmentation procedures, histological and histochemical examinations were done. Two dogs were excluded from the study, resulting in a total sample size of 8 mongrel dogs. The data were statistically examined. Group II had the largest amount of bone growth inside the defect. However, evidence of bone maturation was more visible in group I. The difference in bone formation inside the defect between groups I and II was not statistically significant (P = 0.3395). However, there were significant differences between groups I and III and groups II and III (P < 0.0001). Histomorphometry revealed that group II had the highest mean area percentage of bone matrix, whereas group III had the lowest mean value. In conclusion, the combination of PRF loaded with MSCs and BCP block is a promising therapy option for vertical alveolar ridge defects in the future.