The efficacy of nasolabial flap as a reconstruction modality in the surgical management of oral submucous fibrosis

The purpose of this study was to clinically assess the efficacy of nasolabial flap for reconstruction of oral cavity defects post fibrotomy in oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) patients. The study was implemented on ten patients with OSMF with mouth openings of less than 10 mm interincisal distance. The extent of mouth opening (inter incisal distance) along with the viability and vascularity of the flap was evaluated clinically over a period 6 months. In our study, complications like flap necrosis, flap loss, infection and obstructive sialadenitis were not observed. However, intra-oral hair growth was seen in our 7 patients, extra-oral scar at the donor site was seen in all our patients and salivary fistula formation was reported in 1 of the patient which underwent fistula repair later. Mean mouth opening of 37 mm was achieved at 6 months post-operatively, with a mean increase of 31.5 mm. No relapse was encountered, even at last follow-up. On the basis of the results, we conclude that the inferiorly based nasolabial flap is an efficacious, viable and a reliable option for reconstruction of oral cavity defects in OSMF.