Introduction Palatal rugae or plica palatine are the finger prints of the oral cavity and the arch length varies between males and females. These two parameters constitute an integral part of the anthropometric studies in the realms of dentistry as well as forensic odontology. The aim of this study was to assess whether any relationship existed between the upper arch length and the rugae pattern and whether these two parameters showed any gender differentiation. Materials and Methods The sample consisted of upper and lower study models of 60 subjects (30 males and 30 females). Arch lengths were measured using a brass wire and rugae were traced on the dental casts and assessed by applying the Thomas and Kotze classification (1983). The data collected was subjected to statistical analysis. Results The results showed that the maxillary and mandibular arch length dimensions were higher in males than in females; however, the differences were found to be statistically insignificant. The assessment of rugae pattern showed that the male subjects had a higher number of rugae. The differences in rugae pattern distribution for male and female subjects were found to be statistically significant. Conclusion The palatal rugae pattern and maxillary arch length can be used as an additional method in differentiating gender between human population groups.

Introduction Midline diastema is a common esthetic problem in mixed and permanent dentition. It is considered attractive in some cultures and unattractive in others. Aim The aim of this study is to compare the perceptions of anterior diastema by dental students and laypersons. Materials and Methods The study was conducted on 100 undergraduate students of Bhojia Dental College (n = 50) and Bhojia Nursing College (n = 50), Himachal Pradesh, India. A self-prepared questionnaire was given, which consisted of two parts: first part had personal details (name, age, sex, knowledge of diastema) and the second part contained an edited photograph of a patient who had reported to the Department of Orthodontics, Bhojia Dental College, with the chief complaint of midline diastema. The photographs were modified by photoediting software and arranged according to the previous studies on anterior diastema by Frush and Fisher, Lombardi, and Simian. A visual analog scale with scores 1–4 (1, most attractive; 2, attractive; 3, less attractive; 4, least attractive) was used to rank these photographs by the students. Comparison between various variables was made by using chi-squared test. Results Smile attractiveness from the most to the least attractive was Simian > Frush and Fisher > Lombardi > midline diastema among both dental and nursing students. Gender and presence of diastema had no relation with the students’ perceptions (p > 0.05). Conclusion The location and width of diastema had an important role in the perception of dental diastemas. Midline diastema was a gap with most negative perception.

This study examines the impact of size premium and value premium on average return in emerging economies i.e. Pakistan, India and China equity markets for the period from June 2000 to June 2015 by using three factors model. This study predicts the significance and positive relationship between value premium(C/P Ratio) and stock return for all non-financial companies listed on Karachi stock exchange, Bombay stock exchange and Shanghai stock exchange on the basis of market Capitalization. The regression results of the study illustrate that size premium predict returns more for small firms than big firms while market premium found significantly positive with stock returns in Pakistan, India, and China. Value premium is found positive for all created portfolios. Therefore, it can be concluded that value effect is present in three emerging markets. High C/P ratio outperforms the low C/P ratio stocks. In this study C/P ratio (value premium) integrated with size and market premium to check whether it can predict stock returns of small and large firms for high or low C/P ratio. The finding is similar that the positive relationship of value premium and stock return and the negative relationship of size premium and stock return. The explanatory power of Fama and French three-factor model is greater than CAPM for all three equity markets, so, the asset pricing model can facilitate investors in efficient portfolio diversification for getting enhanced returns.

No abstract