Is torus palatinus a feature of a well‐developed maxilla?

Torus palatinus (TP) is an exostosis of the hard palate. The biologic significance of TP is unknown. Our hypothesis was that the presence of a TP reflects the development of the maxilla. It has been proven that tooth agenesis is associated with small maxillary size. We investigated whether there is a relationship between maxillary third molar agenesis and the presence or absence of TP. The study was carried out on 253 Turkish patients. It showed a lower prevalence of third molar agenesis in female subjects with TP ( P < 0.001). This study provides indirect evidence that development of the maxilla may be greater in female subjects with TP. Clin. Anat. 17:623–625, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.