Traumatic herniation of the buccal fat pad.

Traumatic herniation of the buccal fat pad is a rare traumatic disease. Treatment consists of either excision or replacement. We herein report the first case in which a traumatic herniation of the buccal fat pad healed naturally. It was necessary to differentiate the disease from lipoblastoma. A 17-month-old boy was admitted to a clinic with an intraoral tumor that had suddenly increased in size. The tumor was diagnosed as herniation of the buccal fat pad on pathology of a biopsy specimen. In the present case, the escaped buccal fat body returned naturally and engrafted without dysfunction or facial defects. Given that young children may easily fall down with various objects in their mouth, care is required to prevent traumatic accidents. Traumatic herniation of the buccal fat pad should be considered in the differentiation of tumors of the oral cavity in young children.