Papillarity of the palatal mucosa

A sample of 575 palatal casts was studied and found to possess varying degrees of papillary convolutions between and around the palatal rugae. No palatal appliances were worn and no irritative influence was present. A classification of 1-4 was established and the peak incidence was Class II at 48.4% (Class I, being an absence of papillarity, was 7.3%). It is postulated that the presence of a denture may well cause an inflammatory papillary hyperplasia to arise not by a progression through the various stages of denture stomatitis but directly, in an individual with a papillary palate.