The prevalence of radiographically evident mandibular tori in the University of Iowa dental patients.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the radiographic prevalence of mandibular tori and to determine the attributes which make tori radiographically evident.


METHODS
The prevalence of mandibular tori was determined from 1600 radiographic surveys of patients attending the College of Dentistry, University of Iowa, 200 for each decade of life from the first to the eighth. Dry skulls were evaluated at the National Museum of Natural History. Mandibular tori were measured, classified and radiographed to correlate the radiographic findings with the physical characteristics.


RESULTS
Overall, 16.9% of the patient population had radiographically detectable mandibular tori with some cohorts within the population as high as 33%. Lobulated tori extending 4 mm or more mediolaterally were radiographically detectable.


CONCLUSIONS
This study revealed one of the higher prevalence rates of mandibular tori in the literature for a population within the United States. Radiographic threshold analysis suggests that this group of Iowans has a high percentage of medium to large discretely lobulated tori.
Ruprecht
A
A
Department of Oral Pathology, Radiology and Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA.
Hellstein
J
J
Bobinet
K
K
Mattinson
C
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005096:Exostoses / Q000145:classification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007484:Iowa / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008336:Mandibular Diseases / Q000145:classification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D015995:Prevalence; D011859:Radiography; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors; D016037:Single-Blind Method