Evaluation of the effect of platelet-rich plasma on the rate of orthodontic tooth movement : A split-mouth controlled study.

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the effect of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on the rate of orthodontic tooth movement during maxillary canine retraction.

Materials and methods: This split-mouth controlled clinical study included 15 patients aged between 18 and 30 years requiring bilateral maxillary first premolar extractions. One side of the maxillary arch was randomly assigned as the experimental side and received a single submucosal injection of autologous PRP around the distal aspect of the canine, while the contralateral side served as the control. Mini-implants were placed bilaterally between the maxillary first and second molars and loaded with NiTi closed-coil springs delivering a retractive force of 150 g for canine retraction. Orthodontic tooth movement was evaluated using intraoral scans obtained with Trios 3 scanner at baseline (T0) and at 4-week intervals up to 16 weeks (T1-T4). The rate of canine movement was calculated using Ortho Systems Orthodontics software. Intergroup comparisons were performed using an unpaired t-test, and within-group comparisons were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance.

Results: The mean rate of canine retraction on the PRP side was 0.37 ± 0.34 mm, 0.37 ± 0.34 mm, 0.66 ± 0.46 mm, and 0.52 ± 0.44 mm across successive intervals. On the control side, the corresponding values were 0.31 ± 0.24 mm, 0.31 ± 0.24 mm, 0.23 ± 0.27 mm, and 0.38 ± 0.53 mm. A statistically significant difference was observed during the T2-T3 interval (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: A single submucosal PRP injection may enhance canine retraction during orthodontic treatment, although the effect appears transient and time dependent.