Buccal fat pad reconstruction for oral submucous fibrosis

Oral submucous fibrosis is a chronic debilitating disease characterized by gradually increasing fibrosis of the oral cavity and pharynx, mainly the buccal mucosa, resulting in trismus. Prepotency of the disease is seen in the Indian subcontinent, with its highest incidence in South India due to various deleterious habits. In spite of the numerous medical modalities employed in the management of oral submucous fibrosis, occasionally surgical intervention becomes inevitable. Various flaps have been used to reconstruct the surgical defects following excision of fibrous bands. Undoubtedly; the buccal fat pad remains the most versatile because of its excellent blood supply and minimal donor site morbidity. Here we present a case of severe oral submucous fibrosis surgically treated and reconstructed using buccal fat pad.