Anatomy of the buccal fat pad and its clinical significance

Interest in the anatomy of the buccal fat pad was aroused by two clinical cases where the fat pad was involved by pathology. In one, there was an extensive lipoma of the buccal fat pad which had been unsuccessfully operated on on two previous occasions. The reason for the lack of success was incomplete removal of the fat pad. In the second case, there was an arteriovenous malformation involving the fat pad which necessitated complete removal. Fresh cadaver dissections were carried out to accurately determine the anatomy. Particular attention was paid to the temporal extension, since this area is frequently disregarded.