Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF): what it is and what the evidence shows
Some implant clinics take a small sample of your blood on surgery day, spin it in a centrifuge and place the resulting gel in the extraction sockets or around the implants. It is called platelet-rich fibrin, or PRF. Here is what is known about it, and what is not.
Medically reviewed by Dt. Hüseyin Yavuz Özbek, implant surgeon · Updated October 2026PRF is a gel made from your own blood by spinning it in a centrifuge. It concentrates platelets and growth factors in a fibrin mesh and is placed in sockets or over surgical sites. Reviews show reasonable support for better soft tissue healing and possibly less pain, some support for slightly better early implant stability, and little good evidence that it grows more bone. It is an optional extra, not a requirement for successful implants.
Your own blood, spun into a gel
Blood is mostly red cells, white cells, platelets and plasma. When you cut yourself, platelets gather at the wound, release signalling proteins (growth factors) and help form a fibrin mesh that holds the clot together. That clot is the scaffold the body uses to start healing.
Platelet-rich fibrin tries to give surgery a head start by concentrating that process. A nurse or dentist draws a few tubes of blood from your arm, usually just before surgery. The tubes go into a small centrifuge for a set number of minutes. Because no anticoagulant is added in the common protocols, the blood starts to clot as it spins, and it separates into layers: red cells at the bottom, a yellowish fibrin clot rich in platelets and white cells in the middle, and plasma on top.
The middle layer is lifted out. It can be pressed into thin membranes, cut into plugs for extraction sockets, or mixed with bone graft granules to make them easier to handle. Variants with names like L-PRF, A-PRF and i-PRF differ in spin speed, time and tube type. The differences matter to researchers, and they are one reason the studies are hard to compare.
How PRF differs from PRP
The older idea, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), needed anticoagulant and usually an activator added back in. PRF was developed as a simpler method that leaves the blood to clot naturally, so the growth factors are released more slowly from the fibrin mesh. Both are called "autologous platelet concentrates", meaning they come from the patient's own body.
Where it is used in implant treatment
In full-mouth and full-arch work, PRF turns up in a handful of places:
- In extraction sockets after teeth are removed, to support the clot and soft tissue closure.
- Around implants placed straight into fresh sockets, to fill the gap between implant and socket wall.
- Mixed with graft particles during bone grafting or a sinus lift, partly to make them easier to place.
- As a membrane over a surgical site, to help the gum close.
The theory is easy to like. More growth factors, faster healing, less pain. The practical question is whether the trials bear that out, and for which of these uses.
What the systematic reviews found
Soft tissue: the strongest support
The most often cited review is by Miron and colleagues (Miron et al., 2017), which included only randomised clinical trials, 35 of them. Most of the evidence was in periodontal surgery, for bony defects around teeth and for gum recession, where the majority of studies favoured PRF for soft tissue repair. The authors found very little to no randomised data on PRF for building new bone in guided bone regeneration, for treating peri-implantitis, or in sinus lifts. Their own conclusion was that well-conducted studies showing a convincing role for PRF in hard tissue regeneration were still lacking.
One finding in that review is relevant to anyone having several teeth removed: PRF has been shown to reduce dry socket after wisdom tooth removal, which the authors describe as a tenfold decrease. Dry socket is a painful complication when the blood clot is lost from an extraction socket. The evidence there comes from wisdom teeth, so it cannot simply be transferred to full-arch extractions where implants are placed at the same time, but it helps explain why surgeons use PRF in sockets.
Implant stability: a possible small benefit
A 2025 review by Damsaz and colleagues (Damsaz et al., 2025) looked only at randomised and controlled trials measuring implant stability with resonance frequency analysis, the ISQ number a dentist can read off a small device (see primary stability). Seven studies met their criteria. They concluded that L-PRF may enhance implant stability after surgery. Stability readings are a surrogate: they tell you how firmly the implant sits, not whether it will still be there in twenty years.
Immediate implants: one option among several
Pliatkute and colleagues (Pliatkute et al., 2026) reviewed seven studies of single implants placed straight into extraction sockets, where the gap around the implant is filled with something. Stability results slightly favoured PRF over a plain blood clot, and over collagen with bone substitute, but were inferior to bone substitute alone. Across studies and follow-up, they saw no significant differences between materials.
Pain: promising, but messy
A very large review by Estrin and colleagues (Estrin et al., 2025) gathered 200 comparative clinical studies across dentistry and medicine. Almost all reported less pain with PRF than without. Because PRF was prepared in so many different ways and pain was measured in so many different ways, the authors could not pool the results into a single estimate. It is also worth knowing that several authors are linked to an organisation that teaches PRF techniques. That does not make the findings wrong, but readers should weigh it, as they would any declared interest.
| Use | Strength of evidence | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| Gum and soft tissue healing | Moderate (many RCTs, mainly gum surgery) | Generally favourable |
| Pain after surgery | Many studies, too varied to pool | Most report less pain |
| Early implant stability | Low (7 small trials) | Possible small improvement |
| Growing new bone, sinus lifts | Very little randomised data | Not established |
| Long-term implant survival | No direct evidence found | Unknown |
Why the results are so hard to pin down
If you read our guide to reading an implant study, you will recognise the problems. PRF protocols vary by centrifuge, speed, time and tube material, so "PRF" in one trial may not be the same product as in another. Outcomes vary too: some trials measure bone width on a scan, some measure stability numbers, some measure pain on a ten-point scale. Many trials are small. And in split-mouth designs, where one side gets PRF and the other does not, patients cannot always be blinded.
None of this means PRF does nothing. It means the honest answer is "probably helpful for soft tissue, possibly helpful for pain and early stability, unproven for bone." That is a narrower claim than you may see in some clinic marketing.
What PRF is not
Because PRF is sometimes marketed with words like "regeneration" and "growth factors", it is worth being clear about what it is not.
- It is not stem cell therapy. PRF concentrates platelets, white cells and fibrin from ordinary blood. It does not contain cultured stem cells.
- It is not a bone substitute. It is a soft gel that the body absorbs as healing proceeds. Where bone volume is missing, the reviews above do not support PRF as a replacement for grafting.
- It is not a guarantee of faster healing for everyone. Trial results vary, and the size of any benefit in full-arch surgery has not been measured well.
- It is not a reason to choose one clinic over another on its own. Planning, surgical skill and aftercare have a much larger influence on outcome.
What to ask if a clinic offers PRF
- Where exactly will it be used in my surgery, and what do you expect it to do there?
- Is it included in the price or an extra charge? (Get the answer in writing.)
- Will it replace a bone graft, or be used alongside one?
- Are there reasons it would not be suitable for me, for example if I take blood thinners or have a blood disorder?
At Precious Dental, the clinic that publishes this site, the written treatment plan lists each procedure before you travel. If you want PRF discussed for your case, ask us and we will tell you whether it is planned and how it appears on the plan. We would rather you decide with the evidence than with a sales line.
The bigger picture
Implants were integrating with bone for decades before PRF existed. The factors with much stronger evidence behind them are less glamorous: careful planning from a 3D scan, an implant that sits firmly at placement, not smoking, controlled blood sugar if you have diabetes, and good cleaning with regular check-ups afterwards. Our risk factors page sets out what the research shows for each. PRF, at best, is a modest helper on top of those basics.
PRF is your own blood, concentrated into a gel. It probably helps gums heal and may ease pain. Its effect on bone and on how long implants last is not proven. Treat it as an optional extra and ask how it is priced.
Common questions
Is PRF safe?
PRF is made from your own blood with nothing added in the common protocols, so allergic reactions and disease transmission are not concerns in the way they would be with donor material. The main practical issues are a blood draw on surgery day and the time it takes to prepare.
Does PRF make implants last longer?
There is no good evidence of that. Reviews suggest a possible small improvement in early stability readings and in soft tissue healing, but no study we have read shows that PRF changes long-term implant survival.
Is PRF the same as PRP?
No. PRP (platelet-rich plasma) was the earlier version and usually needed an anticoagulant and other additives. PRF is spun without anticoagulant so the blood forms a fibrin clot that holds the platelets and releases growth factors more slowly.
Can PRF replace a bone graft?
Not in most situations. The 2017 systematic review by Miron and colleagues found very little data on PRF for building new bone. Where bone needs to be added, a graft material is still the standard approach.
Does Precious Dental use PRF?
Ask us. Whether PRF is used, and whether it carries a charge, should be stated in your written treatment plan so you can decide with the facts in front of you.
Sources
- Miron RJ, Zucchelli G, Pikos MA, et al. Use of platelet-rich fibrin in regenerative dentistry: a systematic review. Clin Oral Investig 2017. PMID 28551729
- Damsaz M, Rahmani F, Arzani S, et al. Implants with or without Leukocyte- and Platelet-Rich Fibrin (L-PRF): A Systematic Review on Dental Implant Stability. J Maxillofac Oral Surg 2025. PMID 40756903
- Pliatkute I, Pliavga V, Jakonyte A, Juodzbalys G. The efficacy of platelet-rich fibrin in immediate dental implant placement: a systematic literature review. Minerva Dent Oral Sci 2026. PMID 41378897
- Estrin NE, Tran TB, Ahmad P, et al. Analgesic effects of platelet-rich fibrin (PRF): A systematic review. Periodontol 2000 2025. PMID 41084140
Checked October 2026. Where we give our own view as a clinic, we say so.
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