Teeth missing and subsequent dental implant placement, which are commonly seen along with population aging, may consequently change oral motor behavior and impair natural biting function with excessive damage to original periodontal mechanoreceptors. On the other hand, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), as a promising autologous growth factor, is considered to be able to affect the healing of peripheral nerve fibres. To explore the response of peri-implant sensory nerve fibres to PRP, titanium implants were installed  following one out of three protocols: high-concentration PRP, low-concentration PRP and control group without any PRP. The expected results will demonstrate a chronological remodeling change in the bone-implant interfaces, reveal a stimulating effect of PRP on peri-implant sensory innervation when applied during the healing phase.

This study is a close collaboration between our team,  UHasselt, Univ. Sichuan and Univ. Bern.

International Journal of Oral Science (2017) 9, 1–9; doi:10.1038/ijos.2017.1