Palatal rugae patterns among the Indians at Manipal, India.

Palatoscopy or Palatal rugoscopy is the name given to the study of palatal rugae in order to establish a person’s identity. Rugoscopy finds application in the field of anthropology, comparative anatomy, genetics, forensic odontology, prosthodontics and orthodontics. The present study is an attempt to determine the differences in the rugae pattern among the Indian males and females in a small portion of a population. 63 subjects, 32 males and 31 females in the age group 17-25 years formed the materials for the study. After a written informed consent, maxillary dental casts were taken and interpretation of the rugae pattern was done as per classification by Thomas and Kotze. It was noted that the Indian females had more number of rugae on the right side of the palate than the male counterparts. Curved and straight shapes were predominant among the females whereas the wavy pattern was more common among the males. Their uniqueness to individuals has been recognized as providing a potentially reliable source of identification.