Analysis of Non - Metric Dental Crown Traits in the Population of Mahabubnagar District, Telangana

Introduction: Human identification is one of the most challenging subject that man has been confronted with. Forensic science helps in human identification by the application of science and technology to the detection and investigation of crime and administration of justice. Non -metric dental traits are used primarily to determine identity, gender and origin of a person. Aim and Objective: To study non -metric dental crown traits in the population of Mahabubnagar district, Telangana by using dental casts. Materials and Methods: A total of 400 subjects, 200 males and 200 females were selected 15 from schools, colleges in and around Mahabubnagar district. Impressions of maxillary and mandibular dental arches were taken and Non metric dental crown traits were examined to evaluate the presence or absence of a trait. Results: Out of the 15 non -metric dental crown traits, shovelling (41%), winging (21%), metacone (99.8%), hypocone (82.3%), cusp 5 (68.5%), cusp of carabelli (72%), interruption groove (39%), peg lateral (5%), cusp 6 (4.8%), dental tubercle (3%), distal accessory ridge (1%), mesial accessory ridge (0.3%) were found to be prevalent in the study population. Conclusion: Nonmetric dental traits of the human dentition can be a valuable diagnostic tool for anthropological studies in classifying and characterizing different ethnic groups. It is important to recognize that, population identification or differentiation is undertaken based on the presence or absence of multiple nonmetric traits, and not through the use of a single trait.