Reconstruction of intraoral maxillary defect with buccal fat pad

The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of the buccal fat pad (BFP) in the reconstruction of various intraoral maxillary defects as well as the success, anatomy, healing process, merits, demerits, and complications of this technique.

The study was conducted in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of of Xinjiang Medical University, China, between 2007 and 2013. The BFP was used as a pedicled graft in the reconstruction of small to medium-sized intraoral defects in patients (18 men and 9 women) ranging in age from 2 to 70 years (mean age, 36 y). The criterion taken for successful graft reconstruction was the complete epithelialization of the graft or complete closure of the perforation.

All 27 intraoral maxillary defect patients were adequately repaired. After surgery, all patients had a favorable wound healing in their first month of follow-up. The surface changed from the typical fatty yellow to a pale yellow-white color after 3 to 4 days, and all fatty surfaces were covered by newly formed reepithelized mucosa in 3 to 4 weeks. The mouth opening and graft was also satisfactory in 7 patients who received adjuvant radiotherapy for carcinoma. So, we conclude that the use of BFP in intraoral maxillary defects is a clinically effective, convenient, safe, and quick method of repair for small to medium-sized defects.