Cherubism: A case report

Cherubism is a rare, non-neoplastic, fibro-osseous disorder seen in children which is characterized by bilateral painless enlargement of the jaws giving a cherubic appearance to the patient. It is an autosomal dominant disorder but may occur sporadically as well. The treatment of cherubism is contentious. It is said that the disease regresses by itself and even after regression, if any asymmetry is seen, the bony deformity can be corrected by decortications of bone and osseous shaving. We describe a rare case of cherubism in a child who started developing bilateral, painless, facial swelling at the age of five years which continued till the age of twelve years without any regression of the lesions. Based on clinical, radiographical and histopathological findings, a diagnosis of cherubism was made. Cherubism should be considered in the differential diagnosis of young patients who present with bilateral mandibular swelling. Comprehensive clinical, radiological, and histopathological evaluation can facilitate the diagnosis of cherubism.