PLATELET RICH FIBRIN: A PROMISING INNOVATION IN REGENERATIVE THERAPY

Platelets can play a crucial role in regenerative therapy as they are reservoirs of growth factors and cytokines which are the key factors for regeneration of the bone and maturation of the soft tissue. Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) was first described by Choukroun et al. in France. It has been referred to as a second-generation platelet concentrate, which has been shown to have several advantages over traditionally prepared PRP. Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) is autologous platelet concentrates prepared from patient's own blood. It is a natural fibrin-based biomaterial prepared from an anticoagulant-free blood harvest without any artificial biochemical modification that allows obtaining fibrin membranes enriched with platelets and growth factors. Evidence from the literature suggests the potential role of PRF in regeneration and tissue engineering. The slow polymerisation during centrifugation and fibrin-based structure makes PRF a better healing biomaterial than PRP and other fibrin adhesives. The purpose of this review article is to describe the novel second-generation platelet concentrate PRF, which is an improvement over the traditionally prepared PRP for use in regenerative dentistry.