Analyzing the Patterns of Palatal Rugae Among Children and Adolescent Groups in Southern India

Palatal rugae are distinctive to an individual and likened to finger patterns in forensic Medicine. It is known as Palatal rugoscopy or Palatoscopy, which helps to establish the victim’s personal identity when there is an existing antemortem record. Our study aims to determine the predominant palatal rugae configurations in the children and adolescent age group population of the Southern part of India and to assess the gender-wise differences. One hundred and twelve subjects were included according to the inclusion criteria, excluding subjects with previous orthognathic or palatal surgery histories. Alginate impression material was utilized for making maxillary impressions and study models were obtained using green and yellow dental stone material. Rugae patterns were marked and Trobo’s classification was utilized to identify rugae patterns. The recorded data were studied using SPSS statistical software, version 20.0. Among 112 subjects, wavy, diverging and straight were the most predominant palatal rugae patterns observed. Under males, the most dominant pattern identified was circular, converging and straight, whereas, among females, curved, wavy, and diverging were the most common. The frequent rugae patterns detected in our study were wavy, diverging and straight. The present study demonstrated the uniqueness of rugae patterns in different individuals and between genders. Thus, it is a valuable and reliable source of identification, provided when antemortem records are available.