Prevalence of torus palatinus and torus mandibularis in an Indian population

Abstract

Background and Aim: Oral tori are bony growth present in the oral cavity and are not considered as pathological lesions. Smaller tori do not cause any problems, but larger sized tori can result in significant problems. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of torus palatinus (TP) and torus mandibularis (TM) in the Indian population. Study Design: A total of 3087 patients were examined between August, 2010 and October, 2012 for the presence of TP and TM by inspection and palpation. The data were collected and analyzed using SPSS 12.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, USA). Results: A total of 36 patients (1.3%) presented with TP, while 214 patients (6.9%) presented with TM. Tori were more frequent in males and this difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). TP was more common in 31-40 years age group (13 patients, 36.1%), whereas TM was more in the 41-50 years age group (81 patients, 37.9%). The most commonly observed type of TP was flat shaped, whereas bilateral solitary types were the most common TM. Conclusion: The results of this study showed a significantly higher prevalence of tori in males. No difference in the prevalence of TP and TM was noted regarding the age groups. Although, not pathologically significant, these bony overgrowths very often need surgical removal, especially when prosthesis are indicated.

Keywords

• Indian population
• prevalence
• torus mandibularis
• torus palatinus