Establishing identity using cheiloscopy and palatoscopy.

The use of palatal rugae for the assessment of anteroposterior tooth movements.

Differences in the palatal rugae shape in two populations of India.

Background The palatine rugae have interested dentists not only because of their typical pattern of orientation but also because of their usefulness as a reference landmark in various dental treatment modalities. The pattern of orientation is formed by the 12th to 14th week of prenatal life and remains stable until the oral mucosa degenerates after death. The palatine rugae possess unique characteristics that could be used in circumstances in which it is difficult to identify a dead person according to fingerprints or dental records. Types of Studies Reviewed The authors reviewed the literature by using key words regarding the anatomy, development, classification, clinical significance and forensic aspects of palatine rugae. Conclusion and Clinical Implications Palatine rugae are permanent and unique to each person, and clinicians and scientists can use them to establish identity through discrimination. If particular rugae patterns could be established for different ethnic groups, they would assist the forensic odontologist in the identification of a person. Because they are a stable landmark, the palatine rugae also can play a significant role in clinical dentistry.

https://jada.ada.org/article/S0002-8177(14)63900-3/pdf

Palatine rugae and their significance in clinical dentistry: a review of the literature.

SUMMARY: Establish a person's identity can be a very complex process, one of the main objectives of the forensic sciences.The analysis of the teeth, fingerprints and DNA comparison, are probably the most used technics, allowing fast and secure identificationprocesses. However, these techniques can not always be applied, in some cases, it is necessary to apply different and less known techniques.In this work, a systematic analysis of the shape and dimensions of the palatal rugae was performed. We analyzed 120 subjects of bothsexes, between 15 to 20 years olds, fully dentated, and by calcorrugoscopy were determined the shape, size, number and position of thepalatal rugae. The most prevalent palatal rugae shape was sinuous (43%) followed by curve (27%), line (15%), point (11%), and polymorphicvarieties (4%). The average number was 12.27, being higher in male than female. The palatal rugae that were larger were the sinuous(mean 9.58 mm). 40% of the rugae were found in the E quadrant, followed by D (30%), the rest was distributed among the other regions.The analysis of the palatal rugae and their features can be used as a reliable guide to the forensic identification.

/pdf/palatal-rugae-systematic-analysis-of-its-shape-and-31fa6vr0oi.pdf

Palatal Rugae: Systematic Analysis of its Shape and Dimensions for Use in Human Identification

The purpose of this study was to determine whether rugae patterns change with age and to compare the number and pattern of rugae in Australian Aborigines with those of Caucasians. For the longitudinal part of the study, serial dental casts of ten Aborigines, from 6 to 20 years of age, were examined and rugae patterns were recorded. To enable comparisons to be made between different ethnic groups an additional 100 dental casts of Australian Aborigines and 200 casts of caucasians, ranging in age from 13 to 17 years, were examined. Characteristics observed were number, length, shape, direction and unification of rugae. The length of rugae increased significantly with age but the total number of rugae remained constant. Thirty-two per cent of rugae showed changes in shape, while 28 per cent displayed a change in orientation. In contrast to studies suggesting that rugae move forward with age, the majority of Aboriginal rugae that changed direction moved posteriorly. Changes in rugae patterns have been assumed to result from palatal growth but alterations in pattern were observed in the Aboriginal sample even after palatal growth had ceased. The mean number of primary rugae in Aborigines was higher than in Caucasians, although more primary rugae in Caucasians exceeded 10 mm in length than in Aborigines. The most common shapes in both ethnic groups were wavy and curved forms, whereas straight and circular types were least common. There was a statistically significant association between rugae forms and ethnicity, straight forms being more common in Caucasians whereas wavy forms were more common Aborigines.

https://digital.library.adelaide.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/2440/1442/1/Kapali.pdf

Tracey Parish

Papers

Palatal rugae patterns in Australian aborigines and Caucasians.