Palatal rugae pattern: An aid for sex identification

Area of Science:

• Forensic Odontology
• Anthropology

Background:

• Palatal rugoscopy, also known as palatoscopy, utilizes the unique transverse palatal rugae within the oral cavity for human identification.
• The distinctiveness of palatal rugae patterns offers potential for forensic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of palatal rugae patterns in determining sex in the Bengaluru population.
• To explore the application of palatoscopy as a supplementary tool in forensic sex identification.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of palatal rugae patterns from 100 plaster casts (50 males, 50 females, aged 4-16 years).
• Utilization of the Thomas and Kotze classification system for rugae pattern identification.
• Application of discriminant function analysis for statistical evaluation.

Main Results:

• Statistically significant differences were observed in palatal rugae unification patterns between males and females.
• Wavy and curvy rugae patterns were predominant in both sexes.
• Discriminant function analysis achieved an 80% accuracy rate for sex identification.

Conclusions:

• A distinct distribution of palatal rugae patterns exists between males and females in the studied Bengaluru population.
• Palatal rugae show potential as a valuable tool for forensic sex identification.
• Further research with larger sample sizes is recommended to validate these findings.