Noma
Pronunciation: NOH-mah
A rapidly progressive, gangrenous infection of the orofacial tissues, primarily affecting severely malnourished children in sub-Saharan Africa, also known as cancrum oris.
Full Definition
Noma (cancrum oris) begins as acute necrotising ulcerative gingivitis and can rapidly progress to full-thickness destruction of the cheeks, lips, and underlying bone if untreated. The disease is associated with extreme malnutrition, immune suppression, and poor oral hygiene, and it carries a high mortality rate in its acute phase. In 2023, the WHO added noma to its official list of neglected tropical diseases. Editors working on global health or oral pathology content must use 'noma' and 'cancrum oris' consistently according to the publication's house style, recognising both as accepted synonyms. The term should not be capitalised unless beginning a sentence.
Usage
Usage note: Both 'noma' and 'cancrum oris' are acceptable; confirm house style. Since 2023 it is classified as a WHO Neglected Tropical Disease—update older texts that omit this status.
In Context
- "The global health report used 'noma' throughout the body text but 'cancrum oris' in the historical introduction; the editor standardized to 'noma' per WHO preferred nomenclature." — Global health report editing
- "Early-stage noma may be misreported as necrotising ulcerative gingivitis, a distinction the editor was asked to clarify in the methods section." — Epidemiological study manuscript