A Morphometric Analysis of Palatal Rugae Patterns in a Saudi Arabian Population

Alshammari, Abdulsalam; Farook, Fathima Fazrina; Alyahya, Lulu A; AlHarbi, Maha N; Alazaz, Norah  N; AlKadi, Lubna; Albalawi, Farraj

doi:10.7759/cureus.33058

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…English et al also concluded that the pattern of palatal rugae can be successfully used as a characteristic pattern to discriminate between individuals [ 1 ]. However, according to Alshammari et al, the length of palatal rugae can be useful in recognizing the age group, but it has limited exactness [ 15 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Palatal Rugoscopy: A Tool for Ethnicity and Gender Identification Among Saudi and Kuwaiti Populations

Abdul,

Alzahrani,

Alharbei

et al. 2024

Cureus

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Background The establishment of human identity has always been a concern after mass disasters, and the role of odontology in forensics has greatly evolved. Nowadays, palatal rugoscopy is a widely used method in the recognition of human identity due to its uniqueness in the course, direction, length, form, position, and enduring nature against disintegration. Its easy applicability, cost-effectiveness, and prompt results can be applied to festering, scorched bodies and in the absence of missing upper limbs and fingers. This study was undertaken to evaluate palatal rugoscopy as a tool to recognize human identity and gender between two different ethnic populations. Methodology A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted in the Department of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, Riyadh Elm University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to recognize ethnicity and gender among the Saudi and Kuwaiti populations. A total of 364 participants were selected from the outpatient department between September 2022 and December 2022. All 364 participants were distributed into two groups after the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria. After obtaining informed consent from all study participants, study models were prepared for final interpretation. The outlining of rugae was done with the help of a sharp graphite pencil, and the assessment of various parameters, including total number, length, direction, unification, and shape of rugae, was done. A comparison was made between the two populations. SPSS version 26.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) was employed to assess variations in the mean values of both the total number and the distribution of rugae on the right and left sides across different ethnic groups and genders. Results In this study, a total of 364 participants were included. Of the total participants, 184 were Saudis and 180 were Kuwaitis, with 188 males and 176 females. A comparative evaluation of rugae among ethnic groups showed that Saudi participants had a mean number of 8.92 ± 0.660 palatal rugae, whereas in Kuwaiti participants it was 8.68 ± 0.649 (p = 0.001). When rugae length was assessed between genders among Saudi participants, it was found that the majority of participants had primary rugae with a length of more than 5 mm, and the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.002). The majority of Saudi males had forwardly positioned rugae, while the majority of Saudi females had more backwardly placed rugae. When rugae length was assessed in males and females among Kuwaiti participants, it was found that males had more primary rugae than females. This study found that the majority of Kuwaiti males had a wavy shape of rugae, while the majority of Kuwaiti females had more straight rugae. Conclusions This study concluded that among the two ethnic groups, the total number, length, direction, unification, and shape of rugae were different between genders, with significant differences in some parameters. Therefore,...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Palatal Rugoscopy: A Tool for Ethnicity and Gender Identification Among Saudi and Kuwaiti Populations

Abdul,

Alzahrani,

Alharbei

et al. 2024

Cureus

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“…Furthermore, palatal rugae are resistant to chemical aggression, thermal effects and decomposition changes. 4 No two individual's palatal rugae are identical and remain same throughout the life, reappear after surgery or trauma and if destroyed reappear in the exact same position 5 The present study is an attempt to determine the number and different patterns of rugae in eastern and western Indian populations to identify the predominant pattern and number of rugae in the two ethnic groups in order to effectively identify the populations.…”

Section: Palatoscopy and Rugoscopymentioning

confidence: 96%

Study of Palatal Rugae Among the Student Population From North - Eastern and Western India

Mehta,

Athokpam,

Sharma

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Proposed by Torbo Hermosa in 1932, Palatoscopy is the study of palatal rugae pattern. Rugae patterns are stable and unique to every individual just as his/her finger prints and DNA comparisons. Once formed, they stay robust for the rest of our lives and are resistant to burns, chemicals and decomposition. For challenging forensic identification, as needed in mass disasters, major fire outbreaks and decomposition of bodies where finger print data, DNA matching cannot be made available, rugoscopy can be used as an alternative for human identification especially in situations that lead to teeth loss or involve edentulous persons. Objectives The purpose of this study is to determine the most prominent rugae patterns in terms of shape, number and orientation and delineate if there are any differences in rugae patterns among individuals from eastern and the western regions of India. Rugae patterns being specific to ethnic groups can be used effectively in population identification. Materials and Methods The rugae patterns were assessed by applying Thomas and Kotze classification and Carrea classification for 50 individuals of the same age group. 25 males and females from North Eastern India and 25 males and females from western India respectively. Association between the Rugae patterns were assessed using independent t test and chi square tests. Results. There was a significant difference present in the number of Rugae in the north eastern and western populations with p = > 0.05. The predominant shape was Wavy followed by curved and straight pattern. Conclusions. Rugae pattern may be an adjunctive method of differentiating between the North-eastern and western populations. A larger sample study might be undertaken to validate this claim. Clinical relevance: Palatal rugae are unique like finger prints and are specific to racial groups facilitating population identification especially in edentulous cases. They are resistant, stable and cost-effective forensic parameters for population identification.

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“…29 Studies have shown that the palatal rugae are unique for every individual, and similar to fingerprints, they are stable and can be used a reliable reference for human identification. [30][31][32][33][34] The study about the patterns of the hard palate rugae is commonly referred to as palatal rugoscopy. This technique analyses the size, shape, direction, and arrangement of rugae for identification purposes.…”

Section: Palatal Rugoscopymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…34 Nevertheless, this technique is useful as a complementary method and in conjunction with other methods of identification. 30,35…”

Section: Palatal Rugoscopymentioning

confidence: 99%

Current trends in the methods of identification in forensic dentistry: a review of literature

A. Zahrani

2024

Int J Community Med Public Health

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Dental evidence in forensic investigation has been in practice for many years. Forensic dentistry or forensic odontology predominantly involves the identification of human remains, by comparing the dental evidence of deceased persons recovered from the scene of an accident or a crime (post-mortem dental data) with the ante-mortem dental records. The use of dental identification lies in the fact that no two oral cavities are alike, and the teeth are unique for everyone. In addition, dental structures are not only the hardest and most protected structures in the body, but are also the most resistant to degradation due to environmental impact. Identification of a deceased individual using forensic odontology is possible with a higher degree certainty, as it is possible to apply multiple tools such as dental imaging, tongue print, lip print, rugoscopy, tooth signature, ameloglyphics, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analysis, bite-marks, dentures and prosthesis, facial reconstruction, virtopsy and software applications. Since the role of a forensic dentist extends even beyond identification, especially in the absence of ante-mortem dental records for comparison, teeth become a determinant factor in identification, and determination of age, gender and ethnicity. Although several methods and techniques of identification have been described in forensic dentistry, there is no comprehensive resource that describes them all in detail. Therefore, this review paper aims to analyze and discuss the available methods of identification in forensic dentistry, their merits and limitations, and how they might be of help to the forensic dentists and pathologists.

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A Morphometric Analysis of Palatal Rugae Patterns in a Saudi Arabian Population

Cited by 4 publications

References 29 publications

Palatal Rugoscopy: A Tool for Ethnicity and Gender Identification Among Saudi and Kuwaiti Populations

Palatal Rugoscopy: A Tool for Ethnicity and Gender Identification Among Saudi and Kuwaiti Populations

Study of Palatal Rugae Among the Student Population From North - Eastern and Western India

Current trends in the methods of identification in forensic dentistry: a review of literature

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