Background:Human identification has been studied since fourteenth century and it has gradually advanced for forensic purposes. Traditional methods such as dental, fingerprint, and DNA comparisons are probably the most common techniques used in this context, allowing fast and secure identification processes. But, in circumstances where identification of an individual by fingerprint or dental record comparison is difficult, palatal rugae may be considered as an alternative source of material.Aim:The present study was done to evaluate the individualistic nature and use of palatal rugae patterns for personal identification and also to test the efficiency of computerized software for forensic identification by photographic superimposition of palatal photographs obtained from casts.Materials and Methods:Two sets of Alginate impressions were made from the upper arches of 100 individuals (50 males and 50 females) with one month interval in between and the casts were poured. All the teeth except the incisors were removed to ensure that only the palate could be used in identification process. In one set of the casts, the palatal rugae were highlighted with a graphite pencil. All the 200 casts were randomly numbered, and then, they were photographed with a 10.1 Mega Pixel Kodak digital camera using standardized method. Using computerized software, the digital photographs of the models without highlighting the palatal rugae were overlapped over the images (transparent) of the palatal rugae with highlighted palatal rugae, in order to identify the pairs by superimposition technique. Incisors were remained and used as landmarks to determine the magnification required to bring the two set of photographs to the same size, in order to make perfect superimposition of images.Results:The result of the overlapping of the digital photographs of highlighted palatal rugae over normal set of models without highlighted palatal rugae resulted in 100% positive identification.Conclusion:This study showed that utilization of palatal photographs is highly viable. The photographic superimposition technique using Adobe Photoshop 8.0 software (used in this study for comparison of palatal rugae) was proved effective for human identification and can be used when ante-mortem data regarding palatal rugae is provided. This study also concluded that palatal rugae are highly individualistic and play an important role as a complementary method in personal identification.

Aims and Objectives:The main objective of this study was to evaluate the duration of stimulation over the parotid salivary flow following the use of transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) in different age groups.Materials and Methods:The study was carried out in three different age groups. Under group A individuals from 21 to 35 years of age, group B 36-50 years and group C above 51 years were considered. In each group 30 subjects were taken of whom 15 were males and 15 were females. The placement of pads was approximated bilaterally over the parotid glands. The working parameters of TENS unit were fixed at 50 Hz and the unit was in normal mode.Results:Subjects belonging to group B were showing statistically significant increases in the duration of stimulated parotid salivary flow following the use of TENS.Conclusion:TENS can be considered as a non-pharmacological alternative to improve salivation for longer period in xerostomia patients.

Basal cell adenocarcinoma (BCAC) is a rare neoplasm accounting for only 2.9% of all salivary gland neoplasms. BCAC involving palatal minor salivary glands are exceedingly rare, and only 10 cases have been reported in the literature. The treatment of choice is surgical excision. Here, we report a case of a 55-year-old male patient with massive BCAC of palatal minor salivary gland extending into the maxillary sinus. This is the first case of BCAC treated by radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy. A follow-up check conducted after 14-months showed good prognosis.

Fibrosarcoma is a rare malignant fibroblastic neoplasm that only rarely affects the oral cavity. Here, we describe a rare case of fibrosarcoma affecting the mandible of a 10-year-old girl. Orthopantomography showed a well-defined radiolucency with a cortical rim typical of a benign lesion. However, occlusal radiographs showed Codman's triangle, indicating the malignant nature of the lesion. Computed tomography showed a radiolucent lesion involving the buccal aspect of the mandible, and histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis. The patient underwent surgical resection of the tumor and is currently undergoing regular follow-up examinations.

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Background and Objectives:In orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning, assessment of anteroposterior discrepancy is of importance to the orthodontist. Both angular and linear measurements have been incorporated into various cephalometric analyses to help the clinician diagnose anteroposterior discrepancies and establish the most appropriate treatment plan. Hence the present study is designed to establish the norms of Beta angle to assess the sagittal discrepancy for Nellore district population.Materials and Methods:The sample was screened from the old records of the Orthodontic department of Narayana Dental College and Hospital. One hundred and fifty pretreatment cephalometric radiographs (50 each of Class I, II, and III) were subdivided based on ANB, Wits appraisal, and Beta angle into skeletal Class I, II, III. The same cephalograms were again classified into skeletal Class I, II, and III based purely on Beta angle. Each group was again divided into 2 subgroups consisting of 25 male and 25 female subjects with a mean age limit between 15 and 45 years old.Results:The Newman-keuls post hoc test and ANOVA showed that the 3 groups were significantly different (P ≤ 0.001). The Newman-keuls post hoc test also found the groups to be significantly different.Conclusions:There was statistically significant difference for, the mean values and the standard deviation for Beta angle within the three skeletal patterns (Class I, Class II and Class III skeletal patterns). There was no statistically significant difference among the mean values of beta angle between Nellore district population and Caucasian norms and between male and female sex groups.

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