title: Is torus palatinus a feature of a well-developed maxilla?
abstract: Torus palatinus (TP) is an exostosis of the hard palate. The biologic significance of TP is unknown. Our hypothesis was that the presence of a TP reflects the development of the maxilla. It has been proven that tooth agenesis is associated with small maxillary size. We investigated whether there is a relationship between maxillary third molar agenesis and the presence or absence of TP. The study was carried out on 253 Turkish patients. It showed a lower prevalence of third molar agenesis in female subjects with TP (P < 0.001). This study provides indirect evidence that development of the maxilla may be greater in female subjects with TP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. lbartvinli@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Leyla Berna
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Cagirankaya
authors.forename: Ozden
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kansu
authors.forename: Müjgan Güngör
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Hatipoglu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008437:Maxilla / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000254:growth & development*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008964:Molar, Third / Q000002:abnormalities*; D021362:Palate, Hard / Q000002:abnormalities*; D012737:Sex Factors; D014421:Turkey