Recombinant Platelet-Derived Growth Factor-BB (rhPDGF-BB) Augmented Collagen Grafting for Oral Mucosal Defect Reconstruction

Objective: To assess the suitability of collagen grafting and compare the outcomes between rhPDGF-BB (recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor-BB) augmented collagen grafting and collagen alone grafting for oral mucosal defect reconstruction. Method: A total of 30 patients, who were planned for surgical excision of various intraoral lesions, participated in the study. These participants were then randomly assigned into two groups. Group I underwent reconstruction with collagen sheet with rhPDGF-BB, while group II underwent reconstruction with collagen sheet alone. Post-operatively, haemostasis, pain, granulation, epithelialisation and healing contracture were assessed. Results: The lesions that were treated included leucoplakia, erythroplakia, oral submucous fibrosis and verrucous carcinoma. Use of collagen was associated with good haemostasis, pain relief, granulation tissue formation and epithelialisation. Group I was found to develop slightly better granulation tissue, epithelisation and lesser degree of tissue contracture compared to group II, although these results were not significant statistically (p value = 0.464, 0.705 and 1.000 respectively). Conclusion: This study shows that use of collagen graft augmented with rhPDGF-BB could be beneficial in oral cavity reconstruction following resection of small lesions, although further research with larger sample size is proposed to confirm the benefit.