Oral reconstruction with submental flap

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Reconstructive Surgery
• Oncology

Background:

• The submental flap is a standard technique for reconstructing moderate to large oral cavity defects.
• The presence of hair in male patients can make the traditional submental flap less suitable for oral reconstruction.
• A deepithelialized variant of the submental flap has been developed to address the issue of hair-bearing tissue.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of the deepithelialized orthograde submental flap in oral cavity reconstruction.
• To assess the suitability of this technique for male patients, particularly in cases involving hair.
• To explore its application in managing defects arising from maxillofacial trauma and cancer.

Main Methods:

• The deepithelialized orthograde submental flap was employed for the reconstruction of mucosal defects within the oral cavity.
• The study involved a case series of four patients requiring oral cavity reconstruction.

Main Results:

• Four patients, including two with maxillofacial trauma and two with oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), were treated.
• No complications were observed in any of the four treated patients.
• The exposed raw surface of the flap within the oral cavity underwent successful secondary epithelialization.

Conclusions:

• The deepithelialized orthograde submental flap is a highly effective method for oral cavity reconstruction in male patients.
• This technique successfully resolves the challenge of hair-bearing tissue without negatively impacting the flap's vascularity.
• The flap demonstrates utility in both oncological resections and trauma-related defects.