Torus Palatinus — ORE Part 1 MCQ

Instant feedback + full explanation. One question, done properly.

EasyOral PathologyTorus PalatinusORE Part 1

A 48-year-old woman presents with a painless, slow-growing, firm swelling in the midline of the hard palate. The overlying mucosa is intact. What is the most likely diagnosis?

Educational content. Not a substitute for clinical judgement or local policy.

Reveal the answer and explanation

Correct answer: A — Torus palatinus

Torus palatinus is an osseous exostosis arising in the midline of the hard palate, characterised by painless, slow-growing presentation with intact overlying mucosa. This case perfectly matches: (1) midline location (not lateral as with pleomorphic adenoma); (2) bony-hard consistency (cortical bone); (3) age 30–50 years; (4) female predilection; (5) intact mucosa. Pleomorphic adenoma, while presenting as painless slow-growing palatal swelling, typically arises on the posterior lateral palate where minor salivary glands are concentrated, and is soft-tissue rather than bone-hard. Necrotising sialometaplasia presents with ulceration, not intact mucosa. Palatal abscess is painful and acute. SCC is atypical in this demographic and presentation.

Reference: RCS Faculty Dental Journal. Surgical removal of torus palatinus in a patient with a history of bisphosphonates. 2022. https://publishing.rcseng.ac.uk/doi/10.1308/rcsfdj.2022.14; PubMed. Images in medicine: torus palatinus. 2019. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31528294/