Personal Identification using Odontometry and Palatoscopy: A Pakistani Perspective

Abstract

Aim: To determine the most common rugae pattern and to find if it has any association with dental arch form or malocclusion. Study Design and setting: It was a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted using the records of 200 patients visiting the Orthodontic Outpatient department of Bahria University Medical and Dental College. Methodology: Number, size, orientation and pattern of palatal rugae were assessed on the plaster models. Dental malocclusion along with dental arch form and width were also evaluated. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies were analyzed. Chi square, Fischer exact test and One Way ANOVA was used to see the significance of differences, p≤0.05 was considered as significant. Results: The sample comprised of class I (n=97), class II(n=87) and class III(n=16).113 cases had inter-molar width >44mm while 87 had ≤44mm. Posterior orientation of the rugae, was pre-dominant for both right (n=100) and left (n=122) first rugae. The most common pattern was curved for both first rugae on right (n=66) and left (n=72) sides. Conclusion: Our study showed that the rugae pattern, size and numbers did not show significant variation in different malocclusion classes. It can be concluded that rugae pattern do not have any significant association with malocclusion class or arch form. Keywords: Arch form, Arch width, Forensic dentistry, Malocclusion, Palatal Rugae