6 CONCLUSIONS
Torus represents a common pathologic abnormality that is well recognized
by dental professionals, but this entity has received scant mention in
the medical textbooks and literature. The lesion may be detected
incidentally during a routine physical examination, or some patients may
first seek medical advice because of their concern that the enlarging or
ulcerated torus could be a malignant tumor. Therefore, it is important
for the primary care physicians to be familiar with the appearance of
these tori and their potential clinical complications. There is no
evidence for malignant transformation of these tori, but the larger
protuberant lesions causing significant symptoms may require referral to
an oral surgeon for local resection. Although several causal factors
have been postulated for the development of tori, the exact etiology of
this condition in any individual patient may need further assessment to
determine its underlying pathogenesis and possible genetic nature.