RNA binding proteins: Post-transcriptional regulation in craniofacial bone, tooth, and periodontium.

OBJECTIVES

This review aims to summarize the roles of RNA binding proteins (RBPs) in post-transcriptional regulation in craniofacial bone, tooth, and periodontal tissues.

DESIGN

PubMed and Web of Science were searched from inception to November 2025 for original research, reviews, and clinical studies. Key terms combined RBP concepts ("RNA binding protein" or RBP) with craniofacial/dental terms (craniofacial or maxillofacial or tooth or dental or enamel or dentin or odontogenesis or periodontal or periodontium or alveolar bone) and process terms (splicing or "RNA modification" or m6A or "mRNA stability" or translation or microRNA or miRNA or "noncoding RNA").

INCLUSION CRITERIA: studies linking RBPs to craniofacial bone, tooth, or periodontal tissues with mechanistic, functional, or clinical evidence.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA: non-relevant tissues, non-RBP regulators, or studies lacking interpretable post-transcriptional evidence. Duplicates were removed; titles/abstracts were screened followed by full-text assessment, and reference lists were checked.

RESULTS

RBP mechanisms were summarized across alternative splicing, RNA modification and mRNA stability regulation, translation control, and noncoding RNA regulation. Reported outcomes were tissue- and cell-type dependent, spanning osteogenesis/osteoclastogenesis, enamel/odontoblast lineage programs, and periodontal homeostasis and regeneration.

CONCLUSIONS

RBPs coordinate multiple post-transcriptional steps that shape craniofacial bone remodeling, tooth development, and periodontal repair. Evidence remains uneven across tissues and models, supporting the need for more cell-resolved and in vivo validation.