1076. Torus palatinus in a woman

August 14, 2013

I thought it was a fast-growing tumour on the hard palate as a lady, in her 50s complained of pain in the roof of her mouth (the hard palate), around 1 week after general anaesthesia. The growth was rounded and around 3 cm x 5 cm x 2 cm.

"Check you tube for 'hard palate tumour'," I asked her son. Jason did and there were similar images on the hard palate and a movie of a surgery to remove it. It is called torus palatinus. It occurs in women over 30. A bony exostosis.

Today I asked a heartlander dentist with considerable years of experience. She examined the lady's rounded growth which has an ulcer. "Very common. I have seen thousands of them. Not to worry and no need to remove it. It is a torus."  She prescribed a steroid cream for the ulcer. The lady had taken 20 mg prednisolone oral last night and was in great spirits today. She asked for more. "It is not going to cure," I told her. "Consult your surgeon."  She left a message with the Singapore General Hospital surgeon who is fully booked to return her call. No reply from him. So she went to this heartlander dentist whom she knows for many years. 
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A torus palatinus. I don't see it in dogs in my over 30 years of practice. I am glad it is not a malignant tumour.  "However, if the ulcer persists, it may need check up at the National Dental Centre," the dentist advised. "Pain is good. If you don't feel pain in a lump, it is not a good thing as it could be a cancerous growth."  Somehow I don't understand her logic.

So much worries about oral cancer had evaporated now.