Treatment of Torus Palatinus: An Overview

Torus is a non-pathologic exostosis that develops from a localized cortical bone protrusion in the oral cavity. The prevalence of torus palatinus varies from 9% to 60% with predilection for females, with multifactorial etiology. Torus removal or torectomy procedures aim to restore orofacial physiologic function and/or allow placement of rehabilitative prosthetics without risk of harm. Surgical methods for torus removal include traditional methods that use burs, bone chisels, and mallets to remove the bone protrusion; laser surgery, particularly with erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Er:YAG) lasers, which are less invasive; and piezoelectric surgery, which uses ultrasonic vibrations to cut bone with high precision while protecting soft tissue and causing the least amount of damage to surrounding tissue.