Repair of Wide Cleft Palate by Bilateral Buccal Fat Pad: A Preliminary Study

 This study aimed to prospectively assess the effectiveness of the use of the bilateral buccal fat pad (BFP) for wide cleft palate reconstruction and its effect on transverse palatal growth and fistula formation. Methods and Materials: Buccal fat pad was utilized for treatment of wide palatal cleft patients managed by at Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of medical sciences. Also, an electronic search of articles was performed in Medline and PubMed database from January 1990 to May 2015 to review the literature and summarize the utilization of BFP graft in reconstruction of palatal defects. 

 Ten wide palatal cleft patients were enrolled in this study from 2009 to 2015. Age ranged from 1.5 to 18 years with a mean of 6 in all cases and 2.4 in growing patients. The exposed BFP fully epithelialized within 4 weeks. No palatal fistula type III or IV was observed in follow-up. Palatal transverse growth was not adversely affected in seven growing patients in the follow-up time. 

 The results of this study may suggest application of pedicled BFPs to support and fill nasal layer, raw bone, dead space between oral and nasal layer and hypoplastic muscles to prevent fistula formation and severe scar contracture.