title: Prevalence of torus palatinus in cappadocia region population of Turkey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence, size, shape and location of the torus palatinus (TP) in dental outpatients in Cappadocia region of Turkey and to investigate the relationship between the findings in relation to age and gender.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present study included 2660 patients, who attended the Department of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology in the Faculty of Dentistry at Erciyes University for their dental problems between December 2005 and May 2007. The presence or absence of TP was examined by clinical inspection and palpation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of TP in our large sample was low (4.1%) in comparison to other Turkish population. It was found to be significantly higher (P<.001) in females (5.7%) than in males (1.8%). Most TP were found in flat shape (62.7%), smaller than 2 cm (75.4%) and located at premolar-molar region (66.4%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study indicated that the prevalence of TP in Turkish population was low. Our results showed a significant relationship between the occurrence of TP and gender. According to the literature, it was firstly showed that flat TP was the most common type in our large population.
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor and Chair, Department of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yildiray
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sisman
authors.forename: Elif Tarim
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Ertas
authors.forename: Cumali
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gokce
authors.forename: Faruk
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Akgunlu