About a mandibular hyperostosis: the torus mandibularis

The human skeleton sometimes shows some peculiarities: the torus mandibularis (TM) is one of them. It is not a pathological or tumoral formation but a rare anatomic peculiarity. It is an exostosis which appears on the medial side of the body of the mandible. This exostosis is neither embarassing nor dysfunctional. It is not a pathologic development nor does it cause any pathology but sometimes a removable dental plate may be a source of injury. The examination of 80 mandibles of individuals from South-West France has yielded one specimen presenting a TM.