{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,22]],"date-time":"2026-02-22T05:59:44Z","timestamp":1771739984324,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,20]],"date-time":"2026-02-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1771545600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001322","name":"the South African Medical Research Council","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001322","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"name":"the Dental and Craniofacial Genetics Research Chair for the SBDG project"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Children"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Cherubism is a rare fibro-osseous disorder of the jaws that typically presents in early childhood and is recognised as genetically heterogeneous. While the condition is well described in non-African populations, African data and molecular confirmation remain limited. Background\/Objectives: This structured narrative review aimed to synthesize published African cases of cherubism by describing patterns of presentation, diagnosis, management, and genetic investigation. Methods: A structured narrative literature review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and African Journals Online. Peer-reviewed case reports and case series describing cherubism in African patients were included. Data extraction followed predefined criteria, capturing demographic features, age at onset and presentation, clinical, radiological and histological findings, management strategies, and the use of molecular genetic testing. Findings were synthesised descriptively. Results: Fourteen studies reporting 20 individual cases from eight African countries were identified, with the majority originating from North Africa. Although symptom onset most commonly occurred in early childhood, the median age at presentation for management was 13.75 years, suggesting delayed access to care. Molecular genetic testing was reported in only two cases, while most diagnoses relied on clinical, radiological, and histopathological features. Surgical intervention was commonly described, with fewer cases managed conservatively. Conclusions: Within the limitations of a structured narrative review based predominantly on published case reports and case series, and constrained by the scarcity of molecularly confirmed cases, the available African literature on cherubism remains limited in scope, geographically skewed, and characterised by incomplete genetic reporting. Recurring features include delayed presentation, reliance on clinical diagnosis, and limited use of molecular testing. These observations reflect gaps in reporting and genetic characterisation rather than population-level patterns, underscoring the need for improved molecular diagnostics, multidisciplinary care, and African registries.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/children13020295","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,20]],"date-time":"2026-02-20T15:57:11Z","timestamp":1771603031000},"page":"295","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Cherubism: An African-Focused Review"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2875-4547","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Salma","family":"Kabbashi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Craniofacial Biology, Pathology and Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town 7505, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6789-5484","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Imaan A.","family":"Roomaney","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Craniofacial Biology, Pathology and Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town 7505, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5501-9943","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Martin","family":"Douglas-Jones","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town 7505, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2910-6306","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Karen","family":"Fieggen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7505, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2334-7472","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nakita","family":"Laing","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7505, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6954-0281","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Suvarna","family":"Indermun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Craniofacial Biology, Pathology and Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town 7505, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1176-8539","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Manogari","family":"Chetty","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Craniofacial Biology, Pathology and Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town 7505, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1211","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jcms.2018.05.038","article-title":"Dental implants in patients with ectodermal dysplasia: A systematic review","volume":"46","author":"Chrcanovic","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. 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