Definition and Classification of the Palatine Torus—A Proposed System

A palatine torus (torus palatinus) is a bony mass in the midline of the hard palate. Its prevalence varies widely in different populations, ranging from around 1% to over 60%. Females seem to be affected more often. Despite its benign nature, a palatine torus might cause problems with removable prosthetics, phonation, and mastication. Here, we propose a novel classification system for the systematic description of a palatine torus. Our system includes symmetry, localization, shape, and size of a palatine torus. This might help to standardize future investigations on this topic.