A longitudinal study of anteroposterior growth changes in the palatine rugae

Palatine rugae have been used as internal dental cast reference points for quantification of tooth migration. Some, but not all, investigators have reported the medial rugal region to be stable or to show predictable change. The purpose of this study was to use the longitudinal data base of the Child Research Council of Denver to examine the anteroposterior stability of the medial rugal region. Dental casts of 20 females and 21 males with untreated normal Angle Class I occlusions were selected. Time intervals measured were: T1--primary teeth erupted, T2--earliest cast with permanent first molars erupted, T3--earliest cast with canines and pre-molars erupted, and T4--ages 16 to 22. Distinctive left and right anterior and posterior rugae which appeared on all four casts were identified, the medial ends marked, and the anteroposterior distances measured. The data were evaluated with the paired t test, repeated-measures ANOVA, and Tukey's multiple comparison procedure. From T1--T4, the medial rugal region increased 1.4 +/- 0.6 mm in females and 2.3 +/- 0.8 mm in males. Only two cases showed a trend toward stability. There were no significant differences by side. Significant increases in size occurred between T2 and T3 for females and males and between T3 and T4 for males. Analysis of these data indicates that the medial rugal region increases significantly in anteroposterior length, but not uniformly between the sexes across observation times. Such changes are characteristic of general craniofacial growth and suggest that the rugal region is responding to the differential growth of the underlying bone. Therefore, medial rugal landmarks appear not to be stable reference points for tooth migration research.