Il Torus palatino: carattere genico

Abstract

SUMMARYA survey of the existing literature on the subject reveals that this anatomical variation has been even recently considered as morbid form. All the known information, however incomplete, concerning the shape, frequency, distribution according to sex and age, time of onset and development of the formation, is reported.Little is known concerning the etiology of this hypertrophy: it has appeared as linked with race groups (Eskimo, American Indians, Mongols) and with family groups.This appears to be substantiated by the observations — herein reported — made on 12 twin pairs, of which 9 are MZ and 3 are DZ. All nine MZ pairs are concordant as to torus; one of the three DZ pairs is already discordant.As the concordance of MZ twins for a single trait generally indicates that it is inherited, we can consider tours palatinus as a morphological variation of a hereditary genie trait peculiar of some race — and family — groups.