Growth Factors in Maxillofacial Bone Regeneration: A Narrative Review

Maxillofacial bone regeneration remains challenging because treatment outcomes depend on defect biology, scaffold stability, and the local healing environment. This narrative review discusses the biologic basis, principal growth factor systems, and current clinical applications of growth factors in periodontal regeneration, peri-implant healing, ridge preservation, ridge augmentation, sinus augmentation, and selected reconstructive jaw defects. The available evidence suggests that recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor-BB shows the most consistent benefit in periodontal defects, while autologous platelet-derived concentrates such as concentrated growth factor, plasma rich in growth factor, platelet-rich fibrin, and platelet-rich plasma have shown encouraging adjunctive effects in ridge preservation, sinus procedures, and defect repair. However, the clinical response is variable and appears to depend strongly on the specific agent, carrier material, dose, and indication. Overall, growth factors seem to be useful adjuncts in selected cases rather than universal substitutes for established regenerative protocols, and further standardized clinical studies are needed to define their most predictable applications.