Abstract

A buccal exostosis (also termed alveolar exostosis), is an exostosis (bone prominence) on the buccal surface (cheek side) of the alveolar ridge of the maxilla or mandible. Some consider them a variation of normal anatomy rather than a disease.

Signs and symptoms

Formation on the lower jaw occurs much less commonly than on the upper jaw. They are painless and have no risk of turning into cancer, although they may slowly expand over years, or sometimes more rapidly.

Causes

Why buccal exostoses form is unclear, but it may involve bruxism (tooth clenching and grinding), and genetic factors. Typically they first appear in early adulthood.

Diagnosis

Buccal exostoses are considered different entities to osteomas (e.g. seen in Gardner syndrome), even though the two lesions are histopathologically identical.

Management

Generally buccal exostoses require no treatment. However, they may be easily traumatized causing ulceration, or may contribute to periodontal disease if they become too large, or can interfere with wearing a denture (false teeth). If they are creating problems, they are generally removed with a simple surgical procedure under local anesthetic.

Epidemiology

They are more common in males than females, occurring in a ratio of about 5:1. They are strongly associated with the presence of torus mandibularis and torus palatinus.