A torus palatinus (pl. tori palatini), or palatal torus (pl. palatal tori), is a bony protrusion on the

palate The palate () is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly sepa ...

. Palatal tori are usually present on the midline of the hard palate.Neville, B.W., D. Damm, C. Allen, J. Bouquot. ''Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology''. Second edition. 2002. Page 20. . Most palatal tori are less than 2 cm in diameter, but their size can change throughout life.

Types

Sometimes, the tori are categorized by their appearance. Arising as a broad base and a smooth surface, flat tori are located on the midline of the palate and extend symmetrically to either side. Spindle tori have a ridge located at their midline. Nodular tori have multiple bony growths that each have their own base. Lobular tori have multiple bony growths with a common base.

Cause

Although some research suggest palatal tori to be an

autosomal dominant In genetics, dominance is the phenomenon of one variant (allele) of a gene on a chromosome masking or overriding the effect of a different variant of the same gene on the other copy of the chromosome. The first variant is termed dominant and ...

trait, it is generally believed that palatal tori are caused by several factors. They are more common in early adult life and can increase in size. In some older people, the size of the tori may decrease due to bone resorption. It is believed that tori of the lower jaw are the result of local stresses and not due solely to genetic influences.

Treatment

Palatal tori are usually a clinical finding with no treatment necessary.Tori Mandibular, Maxillary, and Palatal
Study guide for Oral Pathology students at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry. It is possible for

ulcers An ulcer is a discontinuity or break in a bodily membrane that impedes normal function of the affected organ. According to Robbins's pathology, "ulcer is the breach of the continuity of skin, epithelium or mucous membrane caused by sloughing o ...

to form on the area of the tori due to repeated trauma. Also, the tori may complicate the fabrication of

dentures Dentures (also known as false teeth) are prosthetic devices constructed to replace missing teeth, and are supported by the surrounding soft and hard tissues of the oral cavity. Conventional dentures are removable ( removable partial denture o ...

. If removal of the tori is needed,

surgery Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...

can be done to reduce the amount of bone present.

Surgical removal

A maxillary torus is only removed in instances where it is problematic. This includes cases where in an edentulous patient, it extends to the vibrating line, preventing a posterior seal of the denture and posterior seal at the fovea palatinae. Other indications for removal include frequent trauma to the torus, owing to its size or the thinness of the mucoperiosteum overlying it, disturbance of speech, and rapid growth in patients who are cancer-phobic.

Prevalence

Prevalence of palatal tori ranges from 9–60% and are more common than bony growths occurring on the

mandible In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower tooth, teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movabl ...

, known as

torus mandibularis Torus mandibularis is a bony growth in the mandible along the surface nearest to the tongue. Mandibular tori are usually present near the premolars and above the location of the mylohyoid muscle's attachment to the mandible. In 90% of cases, ther ...

. Palatal tori are more common in Asian, Native American and

Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, ...

populations, and are twice as common in

female Female (symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females ...

s. In the United States, the prevalence is 20–35% of the population.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Torus Palatinus Jaw disorders Conditions of the mucous membranes