Buccal Fat Pad: Report of 24 Cases and Literature Review of 1,635 Cases of Oral Defect Reconstruction

Objective: The buccal fat pad (BFP) has been progressively introduced into clinical practice for oral defect reconstruction. This study describes our experience with this technique and compares indications in the literature and outcomes. Methods: We prospectively enrolled 24 patients presenting oral surgical defects and treated between January 2012 and January 2015 at our institution. They all were eligible for BFP defect reconstruction. A comprehensive literature review was performed from 1977 onwards and surgical indications and results were compared. Results: All 24 BFP procedures showed excellent recovery and uneventful followup. Literature review confirmed a global success rate of 96.2% for a reported number of 1,635 patients with multiple surgical indications. BFP showed very low morbidity and failure rates in accordance with the outcomes reported in the literature, and the high patient compliance together with the easy harvesting of this surgical technique make it a good reconstructive option in cases of small-to-medium size oral defects in patients with a high rate of comorbidities or as salvage/second option. Conclusion: The BFP is worthy of consideration for the reconstruction of selected mouth defects, due to its easy mobilization, excellent blood supply, and minimal donor-site morbidity, where shape and size represent its main limitations, and a defect’s location influences its pliability.