The Effect of Platelet-Rich Plasma on Bone Volume in Secondary Alveolar Bone Grafting in Alveolar Cleft Patients: A Systematic Review

This systematic review aims to investigate the impact of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in conjunction with bone grafting on bone volume outcomes in secondary alveolar bone grafting (SABG) procedures among alveolar cleft patients. An exhaustive search involving PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar databases yielded 20 relevant titles, ultimately leading to the inclusion of four articles meeting all specified criteria. Based on the Cochrane risk of bias in systematic reviews (ROBIS) tool, the studies showed a high risk of bias. The primary outcome, bone volume assessment, was analyzed across these articles. While the Cochrane ROBIS tool deemed the included articles to have a high risk of bias, the comparison between PRP and Non-PRP groups did not reveal a significant difference in bone volume. Radiographic data illustrated an initial three-month period of bone resorption post-graft, regardless of PRP application, followed by a six-month phase of heightened bone density, particularly discernible in the PRP groups. To sum up, our findings indicate an absence of substantial bone density increase in cleft patients undergoing SABG with PRP augmentation. Nonetheless, there was a modest trend that suggests potential incremental bone density improvement with PRP usage, underscoring the need to conduct rigorously designed, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with low bias to validate these observations.