Using tissue engineering-based therapies that utilize biomaterial scaffolds covered with osteogenic cells is the novel procedure of bone regeneration. Platelet rich fibrin (PRF) is a 2nd generation platelet concentrates used effectively in different applications in dentistry.
Aim: to investigate the effect PRF membrane, alone or in combination with human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs), on the healing of large mandibular bone defect in albino rats.
Methodology: Bone defects were created out in the mandibular angle of 36 male rats and divided into 3 groups: (I) Control gr. (II) PRF gr. and (III) PRF + hDPSCs gr.: the defect was filled with PRF membrane seeded with hDPSC. the animals were scarified after 15 and 30 days. Sections of 4 µm were processed for H&E and Masson's trichrome staining.
Results: measuring the surface area of bone defect at day 14 revealed a significant smaller defect size in control group than that of treated groups (II and III). At day 30, the bone defect of all groups markedly decreased in size. But, the quality of the regenerated bone in group III was superior than group II followed by group I which was confirmed by new mineralized bone revealed by Masson's trichrome staining.
Conclusion: using hDPSCs and PRF membrane had no effect on reduction of the bone defect size but it showed a high quality regenerative effect on the newly formed bone filling the defect which may represent a potential alternative for bone regeneration. But further investigations are needed.