Closure of Oroantral Communications with Bichat’s Buccal Fat Pad: A Case Series

Abstract

Aims: The aim of this report is to describe the detailed surgical technique of Oroantral communication (OAC) closure with Bichat’s Buccal fat pad (BFP), and to provide valuable clinical material for dental practitioners. This report also evaluates the ability of BFP to successfully seal OACs, and reports patient’s satisfaction and post-operative complications. Presentation of Cases:  This case series is a retrospective study on 5 patients. Patients who presented to the medical center of Saint Joseph University of Beirut with unilateral OAC between January 2019 and July 2019 were included. Detailed surgical steps of OAC closure using the BFP are described. Data concerning patient age, perforation location and etiology, defect size, and complications are evaluated during surgery. Also, success and patient satisfaction level are registered after 3 weeks of surgery. Results: All OACs were successfully closed with BFP and complete healing was observed 3 weeks post-operatively. Mean OAC dimensions was 8.8mm and overall patient satisfaction was 9 out of 10. Conclusion: BFP was a simple and successful technique for OAC closure in the 5 cases. Patients were highly satisfied with the phonetic, aesthetic and functional outcomes of this surgery.