Buccal and palatal exostoses: prevalence and concurrence with tori.

OBJECTIVES The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence and location of oral exostoses and the concurrence of buccal and palatal exostoses with tori. STUDY DESIGN With clinical inspection and palpation, 960 Thais were examined for the presence or absence of torus palatinus (TP), torus mandibularis (TM), and exostoses. RESULTS Of the 960 subjects studied, 26.9% exhibited exostoses. Exostoses were more common in the maxilla than in the mandible (5.1:1). In addition, most of the exostoses were located on the buccal aspect of the jaws. The prevalence of exostoses increased with age (P = .000). Exostoses were significantly more common in men than in women (62.4% vs 37.6%, P =.000). Exostoses were concurrent with TM more frequently than with TP (36.2% vs 20.6%). The highest concurrence of exostoses with tori was observed in subjects who had both TP and TM (42.6%). CONCLUSIONS The occurrence of exostoses is related to increasing age. TM and exostoses may share the same causative factors, and functional influences may contribute. Our findings lend support to the hypothesis that the etiology of exostoses involves an interplay of multifactorial genetic and environmental factors.