The buccal fat pad graft in the closure of oroantral communications.

Buccosinusal fistulae result from disease, trauma or minor surgery; the most common cause is extraction of upper molars, as their roots are close to the maxillary sinus.1 Surgery is needed for the closure of buccosinusal fistulae when they measure over 3 mm or if there is inflammation/infection of the maxillary sinus or periodontal area. Use of the buccal adipose body as a pedicle graft has become more frequent in buccomaxillofacial surgery, given its speed, relatively ease and high success rate. The first report of buccal reconstruction was made in 1977; however, Tidemann et al. only published a paper detailing the anatomy of the buccal adipose body, its blood supply, the surgical technique and the results of 12 cases of mouth defect reconstruction in 1986.