Background:Establishing individual identification of a decedent only by dental means is a mammoth task in forensic odontology. Palatal rugae's uniqueness, its resistance to heat, and stability throughout life have been proved by its use as an alternative aid in individual identification where comparison of fingerprints and other records is difficult.Aims and Objectives:The aim of the present study was to analyze the role of palatal rugoscopy in personal identification and sex determination of Nalgonda pediatric population.Materials and Methods:The study group consisted of 100 children having mixed dentition within the age range of 8–11 years, residing in Nalgonda district. Palatal rugae pattern, shape of the incisive papillae, length of the median palatal raphae, and shape of the dental arches were analyzed using Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests between males and females.Results:Wavy and curved patterns appeared to be most prevalent in both males and females but with no significant difference. The number of primary rugae in females and secondary rugae in males, on left side of the palate, was significantly more than their counterparts (P < 0.05). When rugae unification was observed, diverging type was significantly more in males than in females. Parabolic dental arch form, elliptical type of incisive papilla, and medium length of median palatal raphae was observed in majority of the subjects.Conclusion:The present study hypothesizes the uniqueness of the rugae in personal identification as no two palates showed similar type of rugae in either of the genders. The rugae pattern also contributes minimally towards sex determination as there was no significant difference observed between the two variables.

Greatest barriers as perceived by the practitioners were their level of training and lack of motivation of caretakers. Significant association was found between experience of the dentist with the frequency with which they reported seeing children with special needs (pConclusion: Findings from this study provide a valid picture of barriers to access for children with special needs within general dental private practice system. Recommendations for amendment of undergraduate dental curriculum is made in order to equip future graduates to deal with this group of children better.

Background:The mental foramen is defined as the entire funnel-like opening in the lateral surface of the mandible at the terminus of the mental canal. The mental foramen marks the termination of mandibular canal in the mandible, through which the inferior alveolar nerve and vessels pass. Position of the mental foramen is important when administering regional anesthesia. The aim of this study was to determine the most common type and position of mental foramen in Bangalore population using digital panoramic radiographs. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 (50 M and 50 F) digital panoramic radiographs were collected from Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology within age of 15-50 years, type and position of mental foramen was analyzed. Results:The most common occurrence is Type I and position 4 (symmetrical) of mental foramen. Comparison of type in males and females appears significant. Comparison of the position in males and females appears not significant. Conclusion:The following study suggests that clinicians should carefully identify mental foramen thus minimizing complications during implant, orthognathic surgery and treatment of maxillofacial injuries.

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