Diagnosis and treatment of familial cherubism characterized by early onset and rapid development

J Craniofac Surg. 2009 Jan;20(1):116-20. doi: 10.1097/SCS.0b013e318190e23c.

Abstract

Cherubism is a benign maxillary bone dysplasia of childhood, usually showing an autosomically dominant inheritance with variable penetrance and spontaneously resolving after puberty. Only maxillary bones are affected and develop pseudocystic osteolytic lesions. This article presents an early and rapidly evolving familial case of cherubism. The 3-year-old child underwent conservative curettage of lesions, with a conservative approach that allowed a normal permanent dentition in adolescence. Family history revealed that the father had been treated for similar lesions between 14 and 21 years of age, but the late treatment caused edentulism. In conclusion, although cherubism represents a benign and localized maxillary dysplasia, it requires prompt surgical but conservative treatment and careful follow-up to avoid permanent lesions, that is, malocclusion and/or edentulism.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Biopsy
  • Bone Regeneration / physiology
  • Cherubism / diagnosis
  • Cherubism / genetics*
  • Cherubism / surgery
  • Child, Preschool
  • Curettage
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Jaw, Edentulous, Partially / etiology
  • Male
  • Radiography, Panoramic
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  • Tooth Eruption / physiology
  • Tooth Extraction
  • Young Adult