Use of buccal fat pad for reconstruction of intraoral defects

ABSTRACT

The aim of this prospective trial is to assess the utility of Buccal Fat Pad for closure of small and medium sized defect following excision of intra-oral lesions. Thirty five cases with intraoral lesions including thirty one cases of Squamous Cell carcinoma and four cases of severe dysplasia, recruited from the outpatient service of the department of ENT-Head and Neck Surgery, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi from 2005 till 2007. All these lesions were limited to buccal mucosa. Most these patients were males [28 males and 7 females] with ages ranging from 24 to 70 years. The buccal fat pad filled wound in all the patients showed complete epithelialization within three weeks, except for two cases who had partial dehiscence of the flap. These too were healed spontaneously without any need of secondary suturing. Five patients had some degree of restricted mouth opening but this limitation improved on mouth opening exercises with wooden tongue spatulas. We believe that Buccal fat pad flap is a simple, reliable, and convenient flap, with least of complication and donor site morbidity and should be employed in filling the small and medium size defect of oral mucosa