Abstract
We often encounter trauma to the maxillofacial or oral region, and soft-tissue wounds occurring alone in children are frequent. Also children can suffer unusual injuries from objects held in the mouth, such as tooth brushes and toys. A case is described here in which trauma to the cheek resulted in herniation of the buccal pad of fat into the oral cavity. Although this tipe of case can be sometimes seen, has not been reported frequently in the current literature. On January 13,1993, a boy,4 years 4months of age, was brought to the Pediatric Dentistry Department of Kyushu Dental College Hospital. Earlier in the day he had fallen while brushing his teeth by himself. When his mother examined him, she observed a large reddish yellow mass protruding through the right buccal mucosa in his oral cavity. Closer examination of this mass revealed it to be the buccal fat pad exposed through its capsule. Our clinical examination revealed no abnormality other than the soft tissue injury. With the patient under local anesthesia, the fat pad was pushed through the laceration and into its capsule, which was approximated and repaired with four sutures. Follow-up examination 1 week,2 weeks, and 1 year later revealed no physical sequelae.
