A Rare Cause of Pain in the Oral Cavity: Osteomyelitis of Tori.

A 63-year-old man presented with a 1-month history of worsening mouth pain, particularly under the tongue bilaterally, with left more than right. A physical examination revealed multiple dental caries and bilateral mandibular tori, with the left mandibular torus being exquisitely tender to palpation. Lab tests showed increased inflammatory markers in the absence of leukocytosis. A maxillofacial computed tomography scan revealed findings concerning for chronic osteomyelitis with osteolysis of the left mandibular torus. The patient was started on intravenous antibiotics and transferred to another institution for further management through their oral and maxillofacial surgery service. The surgical pathology after torectomy confirmed the diagnosis of acute osteomyelitis with osteonecrosis. Although rare, this case underscores the importance of familiarity with osteomyelitis in tori of the oral cavity, also highlighting the imaging and clinical correlation. Further research is necessary to understand the risk factors and optimal management strategies for similar cases.

The relationship between oral tori and bite force.

OBJECTIVE: The relationship between bite force and torus palatinus or mandibularis remains to be explained. The major aim of this study was to determine the correlation between bite force and oral tori. METHODS: The bite force of 345 patients was measured with a bite force recorder; impressions of the shape and size of the oral tori were taken on plaster models prior to orthodontic treatments. Subsequently, the relationship between oral tori and bite force was analyzed. RESULTS: The size, shape, and incidence of torus palatinus was not significantly correlated with bite force. However, the size of torus mandibularis increased significantly in proportion to the bite force (p = 0.020). The occurrence of different types of oral tori was not correlated with the bite force. DISCUSSION: The size of torus mandibularis provides information about bite force and can thus be used to clinically assess occlusal stress.

Multiple bony overgrowths in the mouth - report of two cases.

Tori and exostoses are benign bony protuberances that arise from bone surfaces in the oral cavity. The etiology of these growths has been implicated as multifactorial, but no consensus has been reached so far. These painless overgrowths seldom present as a complaint in the dental office unless functional or esthetic complications set in, and there is a fear for cancer. Here we discuss two rare cases where bony overgrowths present in the mouth were extensive and multiple.