Growth Factors and Its Application in Periodontics

The apparent strong desire of clinicians for the use of growth factors to facilitate reconstructive surgical procedures in particular by obviating the need for procurement of autogenous grafts is contrasted by the very limited availability of BMPs and TGF¿for clinical application. Further, growth factors usually exist, as inactive or partially active precursors that require proteolytic activation, and may further require binding to matrix molecules for activity or stabilization. Growth factors also typically have short biological half-lives. As many cellular processes involved in morphogenesis require a complex network of several signaling pathways and usually more than one growth factor, recent research efforts have focused on schemes for sequential delivery of multiple growth factors. Unlike recombinant growth factors, platelet concentrates create the opportunity to deliver many autologous growth factors simultaneously. This has prompted the application of autogenous growth factors by using platelet concentrates for example PRP, L-PRF, A-PRF, i-PRF, derived from the patient¿s own blood and consist mainly of supraphysiologic concentration of platelets and growth factors (GFs).