• The Journal of the Korean dental association
• /
• v.41 no.9 s.412
• /
• pp.637-646
• /
• 2003

Euccal fat pad is special fat tissue which is different from subdermal fat. Anatomically, buccal fat pad is easy to harvest in the course of dental surgery procedure. In 1802, it was introduced by Bichat, Since Egyedi used buccal fat pad flap for the closure of oro-antral fistula and oro-nasal fistula, it has been widely used as an alternative method for the reconstruction of small to medium-sized intraoral defects in oral and mzxillofacial surgery. Kim et al. reported successful results in the all cases they applied buccal fat pad for the reconstruction of intraoral defect from their 31 months follow-up data. Because intraonal wounds are difficult to complete the layered suture and there are high risks of infection related with wound dental implant surgery, double layer closure using some kind of local flaps or other procedure is recommended. So we are to introduce the useful applications of the pedicled buccal fat pad in the dental surgery procedure from the various case presentations.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.29-32
• /
• 1994

IN 1956, Peer presented a very comprehensive account of free fatty tissue transplantation. The use of buccal fat pad had been usually used to reconstruct the perioral defects. The buccal fat pad is a special fatty tissue which is markedly different from subcutaneous fat. And it is a easily accessible fat tissue in oral and maxillofacial region. The buccal fat pad can be used as a free graft or pedicled flap. Recently, buccal fat pad is interested in cosmetic surgery because its' removal for cosmetic purpose has been favorable result. We used the buccal fat as an unlined, pedicled graft for closure of large oroantral fistula. We present a case of report and review of literature.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.31-36
• /
• 2010

Purpose: The primary goal of palatoplasty is to enable normal speech with harmonious growth of face. Some children who had palatoplasty display typical findings of transverse maxillary deficiency requiring orthodontic widening of the maxilla. Levi (2009) described a cleft palate repair coupled with pedicled buccal fat pad flaps to cover bone exposed areas of the hard palate. Hence we report clinical experiences of cleft palate repair using pedicled buccal fat pad flap. Methods: Four Veau class II and a Veau class I cleft palate patients underwent palatoplasty with buccal fat pad flap by single surgeon from April 2009 to August 2009. Two patients received 2-flap palatoplasty and three patients 1-flap palatoplasty, respectively. After the cleft palate repair, sharp mosquito scissors was placed in the superior buccal sulcus just lateral to the maxillary tuberosity and inserted directly through the mucosa resulting in buccal fat pad extrusion. The elevated flap was moved to cover mucoperiosteal defect in hard palatal area. Results: Five patients underwent primary palatoplasty using buccal fat pad flap. Flap harvest and inset took on average 9 minutes per flap. Mucosal epithelization took 18 days on average. No patients had complications related to the buccal fat pad flap. Conclusion: Buccal fat pad pedicled flap has significant potential to function as an added vascularized tissue layer in cleft palate repair and we can expect better growth of maxilla with this method although longer duration of follow-up was unavailable.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.185-190
• /
• 1998

Various local flaps and distant flaps including tongue flap, palatal island flap, and buccal flap as well as skin grafts have been used for the reconstruction of oral mucosal defect. In the posterior region of oral cavity and the buccal cheek area, buccal fat pad can be used as a pedicled graft. The buccal fat pad is different from other subcutaneous fat tissue and it is easily accessible. There are many advantages in pedicled buccal fat pad graft for the closure of oral mucosal defect. The procedure is easy, there is no visible scar in the donor site, it is capable of reconstruction of various contour, and it has good viability. We had used buccal fat pad as a pedicled graft for the closure of oral mucosal defect after the excision of tumor and the oroantral fistula. From the results of these cases, we concluded that the use of the buccal fat pad flaps was worth of the consideration for the reconstruction of oral mucosal defect in the regions of the buccal cheek, and posterior oral cavity.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.153-159
• /
• 1991

The use of the autogenous free fat is a well-known procedure to fill in superficial depressions resulting from the traumatic or congenital defects. The major donor site for this procedure was the abdominal subcutaneous fat or buttocks. In 1977, Egyedi was the first to report the use of the buccal fat pad as a pedicled graft. The buccal fat pad is a structure usually considered to be a nuisance when encountered in intraoral procedures such as facial bone osteotomies, elevation of buccal falp, or procedures on Stensen's duct. In these operations, appearance of the buccal fat pad complicates surgical exposure. The buccal fat pad is a lobulated convex mass of fatty tissue covered by a very delicate membrane, and is described as having a body from which four processes extend. These projection serve as a filling material between the various muscular structures in the area. Recently malar depression was augmented with the pedicled buccal fat pad in 3 cases, and it was used for the reconstruction of the nasolabial fold in one case.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
• /
• v.32 no.6
• /
• pp.524-529
• /
• 2006

For the repairing of bone defect, autogenous or allogenic bone grafting remains the standard. However, these methods have numerous disadvantages including limited amount, donor site morbidity and spread of diseases. Tissue engineering technique by culturing stem cells may allow for a smart solution for this problem. Adipose tissue contains mesenchymal stem cells that can be differentiate into bone, cartilage, fat or muscle by exposing them to specific growth conditions. In this study, the authors procured the stem cell from buccal fat pad and differentiate them into osteoblast and are to examine the bone induction capacity. Buccal fat-derived cells (BFDC) were obtained from human buccal fat pad and cultured. BFDC were analyzed for presence of stem cell by immunofluorescent staining against CD-34, CD-105 and STRO-1. After BFDC were differentiated in osteogenic medium for three passages, their ability to differentiate into osteogenic pathway were checked by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining, Alizarin red staining and RT-PCR for osteocalcin (OC) gene expression. Immunofluorescent and biochemical assays demonstrated that BFDC might be a distinguished stem cells and mineralization was accompanied by increased activity or expression of ALP and OC. And calcium phosphate deposition was also detected in their extracelluar matrix. The current study supports the presence of stem cells within the buccal fat pad and the potential implications for human bone tissue engineering for maxillofacial reconstruction.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.297-300
• /
• 2000

The author evaluated the effectiveness of pedicled buccal fat pad grafts for closure of oroantral communications. Nine patients with chronic oroantral communications and one patient with an oronasal communication were treated with pedicled buccal fat grafts. They were treated successfully in all cases, and there were no postoperative complications (i. e. shallow buccal vestibule), and minimal patient discomforts. It was concluded that this was a easy and time fast method for closure of oral defects and had wide application and high successful rate.

• Journal of Korean Dental Science
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.38-42
• /
• 2014

Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) is defined as exposed necrotic bone without evidence of healing for at least 8 weeks in the maxillofacial area in a patient with history of bisphosphonate use. Obtaining complete coverage of the hard tissue by soft tissue in BRONJ patients is especially important. Therefore, managing the mucosa is one of the key factors in a successful outcome, but this is especially hard to achieve in BRONJ patients. Various applications of buccal fat pad in oral reconstruction-including the closure of surgical defects following tumor excision, repair of surgical defects following the excision of leukoplakia and submucous fibrosis, closure of primary and secondary palatal clefts, coverage of maxillary and mandibular bone grafts, and lining of sinus surface of maxillary sinus bone graft in sinus lift procedures for maxillary augmentation-have been studied. Eliminating all potential sites of infection and post-operative infection control is crucial in BRONJ. We present a case using the buccal fat pad pedicle for a stage 3 BRONJ defect. Uneventful total epithelialization of the buccal fat pad regardless of size was noted. In summary, the buccal fat pad has versatile application and various recipient sites for surgical utilization. It is an easy technique, with promising overall success rates. With careful selection and handling, buccal fat graft can resolve problems with soft tissue coverage in stage 2 or 3 BRONJ patients.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• /
• v.40
• /
• pp.11.1-11.5
• /
• 2018

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most commonly occurring malignant tumor in the oral cavity. In South Korea, it occurs most frequently in the mandible, tongue, maxilla, buccal mucosa, other areas of the oral cavity, and lips. Radial forearm free flap (RFFF) is the most widely used reconstruction method for the buccal mucosal defect. The scar of the forearm donor, however, is highly visible and unsightly, and a secondary surgical site is needed when such technique is applied. For these reasons, buccal fat pad (BFP) flap has been commonly used for closing post-surgical excision sites since the recent decades because of its reliability, ease of harvest, and low complication rate. Case presentation: In the case reported herein, BFP flap was used to reconstruct a cheek mucosal defect after excision. The defect was completely covered by the BFP flap, without any complications. Conclusion: Discussed herein is the usefulness of BFP flap for the repair of the cheek mucosal defect. Also, further studies are needed to determine the possibility of using BFP flap when the defect is deep, and the maximum volume that can be harvested considering the changes in volume with age.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• /
• v.40
• /
• pp.7.1-7.5
• /
• 2018

Background: Oroantral communicating defects, characterized by a connection between the maxillary sinus and the oral cavity, are often induced by tooth extraction, removal of cysts and benign tumors, and resection of malignant tumors. The surgical defect may develop into an oroantral fistula, with resultant patient discomfort and chronic maxillary sinusitis. Small defects may close spontaneously; however, large oroantral defects generally require reconstruction. These large defects can be reconstructed with skin grafts and vascularized free flaps with or without bone graft. However, such surgical techniques are complex and technically difficult. A buccal fat pad is an effective, reliable, and straightforward material for reconstruction. Case presentation: This report describes three cases of reconstruction of large oroantral defects, all of which were covered by a pedicled buccal fat pad. Follow-up photography and radiologic imaging showed successful closure of the oroantral defects. Furthermore, there were no operative site complications, and no patient reported postsurgical discomfort. Conclusion: In conclusion, the use of the pedicled buccal fat pad is a reliable, safe, and successful method for the reconstruction of large oroantral defects.