Study of Palatal Rugae Pattern among population of Mewar and Hadoti Region

Objectives: Whenever there is a loss of a tooth, palatal rugae (PR) is suggested as an alternative technique for personal identification. The present study was carried to determine area-specific uniqueness of the rugae pattern among the population of Mewar and Hadoti region by evaluating the number and shape of the rugae pattern and its variation among genders of the same population. Materials and Method: Study included 500 subjects (250 males and 250 females) aged between 17 and 25 years as per the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The rugae pattern was classified based on their length, shape, direction, and unification proposed by Lysell (1955) and later modified by Thomas and Kotze (1983). The observations recorded were evaluated for their statistical significance and specificity using unpaired t-test. Results: Total number of rugae on the right side in both genders was 2089 showing a significant difference between males and females and on the left side, the total number was 2088 not showing a statistically significant difference between genders. The wavy pattern was the most predominant pattern, followed by curved and straight patterns. The wavy pattern was found to be significant between males and females. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated the difference in PR distribution and uniqueness in different individuals and the importance of studying the characteristics based on ethnicity. Also, we can say that gender can be determined using a wavy pattern.