Tornwaldt's (Thornwaldt's) or nasopharyngeal cyst is an uncommon developmental
benign cyst located in the midline postero-superior wall of nasopharynx. Incidence reported in
general population is 0.06%. It occurred in the potential space due to outpouching of ectoderm into
the pharyngobasilar fascia at the site where notochord attached to pharyngeal ectoderm. (Copied from article).
Tornwaldt (Thornwaldt) or nasopharyngeal cyst is a cyst occurred at the connection site of
pharyngeal endoderm and notochord remnant, usually located in the midline postero-superior wall of
nasopharynx. Nasopharynx’s obstruction, recurrent infection or trauma may exacerbate mucous secretion
by the potential space lining. Although rare and is usually symptomless, it is not uncommon for the patients
to have some nasal, ear, cervical or oral symptoms. We report a case of Tornwaldt cyst with rare
associated dental symptoms. The patient’s initial presentations were dry mouth, cheek biting, post nasal
drip and few nasal symptoms including frequent snoring, sleep apnoea, mouth breathing, sneezing, sore
throat and itchiness. These symptoms were tremendously and immediately relieved once the cyst was
surgically removed.
Oral candidiasis is an opportunistic infection of the oral cavity. This study aimed to determine prevalence of oral candidiasis in patients with palatal coverage orthodontic appliances and prostheses and its risk factors. Three groups of patients were recruited after an informed consent. The two tested groups were the denture and the upper removable orthodontic appliance (URA) groups while patients with no prosthesis/appliance acted as control. The assessments included demographic profile, denture/URA age, night-time wearing and duration of wearing. Signs and symptoms of candidiasis were examined intra-orally. Unstimulated salivary flow rate test was also performed. Smears samples were taken from palatal mucosa and impression surfaces of denture/URA and stained with Periodic Acid Schiff (PAS). The data were analysed using descriptive and chi-square tests. A total of 86 patients were recruited; denture (n=30), URA (n=22), control (n=34). Denture and URA groups had significantly more positive cases of candidal infection (56.7 and 72.7% respectively) as compared to control group (20.6%). Among the subjects with oral candidiasis, denture patients were detected to have more severe amount of candidal hyphae (20%) than URA (13.6%) group. The relationships between oral candidiasis and these risk factors i.e. age, night-time wearing, daily total hours of wearing and denture/URA hygiene were statistically significant (p