Background: The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the effects of platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) membranes on the outcomes of clinical treatments in patients with gingival recession.
Methods: Articles that were published before June 2015 were searched electronically in four databases without any date or language restrictions and searched manually in regular journals and unpublished studies. The eligibility criteria comprised randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective controlled trials with follow-up periods of ≥ 6 months that compared the performance of PRF to other biomaterials in the treatment of Miller Class I or II gingival recessions. For the meta-analysis, the inverse variance method was used in fixed- or random-effect models, which were chosen according to heterogeneity. The estimates of the intervention effects were expressed as the mean differences in percentages or millimeters.
Results: Six RCTs and one prospective clinical trial are included in this review. Root coverage (RC) and clinical attachment level (CAL) did not differ significantly between the analyzed subgroups (P = 0.57 and P = 0.50, respectively). The keratinized mucosa width (KMW) gain was significantly greater (P = 0.04) in the subgroup that was treated with connective tissue grafts.
Conclusion: The results of the meta-analysis suggest that the use of PRF membranes did not improve the RC, KMW, or CAL of Miller Class I and II gingival recessions compared with the other treatment modalities.
Keywords: Evidence-based dentistry; gingival recession; meta-analysis; surgery, plastic.