Extended nasolabial flaps in the management of oral submucous fibrosis.

Purpose: We evaluated the use of extended nasolabial flaps in the management of oral submucous fibrosis.

Methods: We evaluated the use of extended nasolabial flaps in the management of 27 randomly selected patients with histologically confirmed oral submucous fibrosis. They all had interincisal opening of less than 20 mm and were treated by bilateral release of fibrous bands and extended grafting with a nasolabial flap. All patients had postoperative physiotherapy, and were followed up for one year.

Results: Their interincisal opening improved significantly from a mean of 11mm (range 3-19) to a mean of 39 mm (range 23-48).

Conclusions: The procedure was effective in the management of patients with oral submucous fibrosis, the main disadvantage being the extraoral scars.