Adding Vitamin C to i-PRF Did Not Improve Healing in Regenerative Endodontic Trial

Edited by Dentaltown staff

Adding vitamin C to injectable platelet-rich fibrin produced no better healing than injectable platelet-rich fibrin alone in regenerative endodontic treatment of necrotic mature teeth, according to a randomized controlled trial published Oct. 12 in BMC Oral Health.

Researchers randomly assigned 28 adults with necrotic mature single-rooted anterior teeth and chronic apical periodontitis to two groups of 14. One group received i-PRF mixed with vitamin C as the regenerative scaffold. The other received i-PRF alone. Periapical healing was tracked with CBCT and periapical radiographs over 12 months.

Both groups showed significant lesion reduction at 12 months. Neither postoperative lesion size nor the magnitude of reduction differed significantly between the groups. CBCT periapical index scores improved in both groups, with no significant difference between them at baseline or follow-up.

Postoperative pain scores were comparable between the groups at every time point. Pain declined significantly over time only in the vitamin C group. All teeth remained asymptomatic through the follow-up period.

Participants were healthy adults ages 18–45. The trial was double-blinded and registered with ClinicalTrials.gov in October 2022.

The authors concluded that i-PRF with vitamin C and i-PRF alone both appear to be effective regenerative scaffolds, with comparable clinical and radiographic outcomes.

Wesam Osama Hassan, Ahmed S. ElSheshtawy, Manal Mohamed Abdelbaki, and Geraldine M. Ahmed of Cairo University and Misr University for Science and Technology conducted the trial. The authors declared no competing interests.

The trial was small, with 14 patients per group and one year of follow-up. Two-dimensional radiographs also showed a baseline difference between the groups, although postoperative readings did not differ.

Sources:
BMC Oral Health, “Effect of injectable platelet rich fibrin augmented with vitamin c compared to injectable platelet rich fibrin alone on healing of necrotic mature single rooted teeth with chronic periapical periodontitis following regenerative endodontic therapy (a randomized controlled trial),” published online Oct. 12, 2026: link.springer.com/10.1186/s12903-026-09924-w