Purpose: To detect the presence of tori in women of different ethnic groups residing in the metropolitan area of Washington, D.C., USA.
Materials and methods: 448 females between the ages of 18-88 years participated in the study. There were 302 African Americans, 62 Caucasians, 43 Hispanics, 36 Asians, and 5 Native Americans.
Results: Tori were detected in 107 African Americans (35.4%), 20 Caucasians (32.3%), 13 Hispanics (30.2%), 14 Asians (38.9%), and 1 of the 5 Native American (20%), (P = 0.328). Torus palatinus were found in 69.7% of women from all ethnic groups (P = 0.107). Slightly higher percentage was seen in the Hispanics, then the African Americans, with the least in the Caucasians. Torus mandibularis were found only in 38.7% of all subjects (P< 0.05), were more common among Caucasians, and were usually bilateral. The presence of both tori was only detected in 8.4% of the participants. There was no relationship between age and the presence of torus mandibularis (r = 0.074) or palatinus (r = 0.008).