1 INTRODUCTION
Torus is a common benign exostosis of the jaw bones that develops in
about 10-30% of the world population.1-5 This
pathologic condition is usually manifested around the age of puberty and
continues to grow during adulthood. These lesions appear as lobulated
protuberances on the lingual side of the jaws or hard palate. Most of
them are asymptomatic and first noticed by the patients or detected
incidentally by the dentists. However, large tori are often subject to
traumatic mucosal inflammation and ulceration, as well as a wide
spectrum of other complications that are described in this article.
There are also instances when the patients seek advice from their
primary care physician because of concern that an enlarging or ulcerated
torus may represent an oral malignancy. Such cases can pose as a
diagnostic challenge to the practicing clinicians who may not be
well-informed about the appearance and potential implications of this
abnormality.