Conventional fibrotomy and reconstruction with lateral thigh dermal fat pad in grade III oral submucous fibrosis patients: A case report and review of literature

Oral submucous fibrosis is a chronic debilitating premalignant condition with progressive stiffening of oral mucosa ultimately ending in trismus most commonly from substance abuse. The most common etiological factor is the consumption of areca nut. Patients usually report to us when the mouth opening is almost nil. Various grafts have been used in the reconstruction of buccal defects after fiberotomy, the most popular being the buccal fat pad. We present the case of a 34-year-old man presenting with the complaint of reduced mouth opening and burning sensation in the mouth for 8 months. The patient is a poor candidate for buccal fat grafting as the patient body type being ectomorphic. The patient had a stigma of scar in the abdomen; hence, the possibility of an abdominal fat graft was out of the equation. Therefore, dermal fat is was harvested from the lateral thigh and reconstructed into the defect. The patient had a favorable outcome with good healing. Further studies are required to assess the quality, microscopic features of the adipose tissue, and the fate of dermal fat from the anterolateral thigh region.