Alveolar exostosis – revisited: A narrative review of the literature

Abstract

An exostosis is a localized, peripheral overgrowth of bone of unknown etiology of benign nature. It may be a nodular, flat or pedunculated protuberance located on the alveolar surfaces of the jawbones. The etiology of oral bony exostosis is still not clear. Racial, autosomal dominant factors, dental attrition, and even nutritional factors have been suggested as having an influence. In the jaws, depending on the anatomic location they are named as torus palatinus (TP), torus mandibularis (TM), or buccal bone exostoses (BBE). The clinical importance of exostosis lies in surgical removal of these to permit proper flap adaptation, most importantly in the posterior maxilla, and to the potential use of the mandibular and palatal tori as sources of autogenous cortical bone for grafting.