P-36666236-311 - Abdominal dermal fat graft versus nasolabial flap in oral submucous fibrosis: A randomised clinical trial

Abstract

<h3>Background</h3> The surgical management of oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) includes intraoral release of fibrous bands and creating a raw area, usually covered by biological or non-biological materials. The abdominal dermal fat graft is easy to harvest, with sufficient bulk and is cosmetically better, while the nasolabial flap has good vascularity. This study compares the efficacy of abdominal dermal fat graft with nasolabial flap in OSMF. <h3>Method</h3> Comparative study comprising of 30 patients with Grade 3 and 4A OSMF, randomly divided into 2 groups: Group A (Abdominal dermal fat graft) and Group B (Nasolabial flap). They were evaluated for graft uptake, mouth opening, time taken for mucosalization, pain and thickness of masseter muscle on ultrasonogram (USG) till 6 months. <h3>Findings</h3> At 6 months, the average mouth opening improved by 22.4mm (20- 24mm) and 36.2mm (32-37mm) in Group A and Group B respectively which was clinically and statistically significant. Graft uptake was 80% in group A and 100% in group B and time taken for mucosalization was 11 weeks for group A and 6 weeks for group B which was statistically significantly better (p<0.05) for group B. No statistical difference was noted in pre and post operative pain and thickness of masseter muscle in both groups. Intraoral hair growth, facial scar and accentuation of the nasolabial fold was seen in Group B. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Nasolabial flap holds better in terms of mouth opening, graft uptake and time taken for mucosalization as compared to abdominal dermal fat graft in the management of OSMF.