Abstract

Palatal rugae are epithelial ridges on anterior part of palatal mucosa on each side of mid palatine raphe behind incisive papilla. The aim of this study was to compare the uniqueness of rugae pattern amongst sibling pairs, determine the predominant rugae pattern and to assess the gender difference in rugae forms in 5 to 15 years old children and its utility in sex determination.  Casts of 50 sibling pairs aged 5 to 15 years were obtained and the rugae pattern was analyzed using Santos’s classification. The association of gender with the number of rugae pattern was tested using Chi-square test and unpaired t‑test. A significant level of 5% was considered as critical value. All analysis was done using the Statistical Package of Social Sciences 17.0 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). Rugae were almost uniformly distributed among males and females. The rugae patterns were uniquely structured and there was no evidence of similarity amongst siblings. The most observed form of rugae was curve (30.89%) followed by line (21.07%) and sinous (19.62). Palatal rugae serve as a reference landmark in various dental treatment modalities and can be a valuable tool for personal identification. Rugae pattern may be an additional method of differentiation between the Indian male and female children.

Key words: Palatal rugae, palatoscopy, identification tool, forensic odontology.