The use of buccal fat pad in surgical treatment of ‘Krokodil’ drug-related osteonecrosis of maxilla

‘Krokodil’ is the street name of a new synthetic drug mixture. It is a light brown liquid that is used intravenously without previous purification. Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) is a common complication among Krokodil users. Krokodil drug-related ONJ presents as alveolar process exposure in the oral cavity. Surgery is the main method for treatment of Krokodil drug-related ONJ patients. In a study by Poghosyan et al., no cases of recurrence were seen after surgery on the maxilla, but 38% of cases (8/21) developed an oroantral communication after surgical treatment for maxillary osteonecrosis (Poghosyan et al., 2014). The aim of this study is to report on the results of buccal fat pad use in closure of maxillary sinus floor defects after partial maxillary resection in Krokodil drug-related ONJ patients. Six male patients with Krokodil drug-related distal maxillary osteonecrosis were included in this retrospective study. All patients underwent surgical treatment, which included surgical removal of necrotic bone, and closure of formed maxillary sinus floor defects with buccal fat pad and local mucoperiosteal flaps. In all patients the postoperative period was uneventful. After suture removal small areas of buccal fad pad exposure were found in all patients, which epithelialized successfully over the following month. During the postoperative follow-up period (8–12 months) no signs of recurrence were found.