[Hyperostosis on the alveolar process margin]

Defects of the bone margin requiring ostectomy and osteoplasty include hyperostotic processes, formations which, while recalling palatine and mandibular tori, have their own nosological slot. Hyperostosis is characterized by thickening of the cervical margin and is linked by a narrow isthmus to the underlying bone plane; it occurs with greatest frequency in the vestibular region. The personal case, in a man of 52, presented two sausage-shaped protuberances located apically at the alveolar margin in the two left arches. Their removal presented no problem of surgical technique as the hyperostosis had no close links with the underlying bone planes. Histological examination of the fragments showed that the hyperostotic tissue consisted of fascicular bone with an intima vascular component. Two years after the operation, the patient presents no signs of relapse and would appear to be completely cured.