The determination of heritability in palatal rugae pattern among parents and their off-springs in Western India – A cross-sectional study

Background: Palatal rugae are asymmetrical elevations present on hard palate and are significant due to their uniqueness, stability and thus, aid in forensic identification. Objective: The objective is to determine palatal rugae morphology between parents and their offsprings and to determine their genetic inheritance. Materials and Methods: This randomized controlled cross-sectional single-blinded study was conducted on 50 families (randomly selected) who visited Vyas Dental College and Hospital. A total of 150 maxillary study models were examined and rugae were delineated and shape, size, and pattern of rugae were recorded. Results: Weak but significant correlation was seen in the nonspecific and angular type of palatal rugae between child and mother and child and father as P < 0.05. Matching with either or both of their parent was seen for curved, wavy, divergent, straight, horseshoe, angular, and nonspecific type of rugae with the higher % of wavy pattern matching (52% with mother and 54% with father). A considerable number of samples showed high heritability of primary and secondary rugae from both parents, but more predominantly to their mothers (branched, nonspecific, and straight). Conclusion: Both environmental and genetic factors can influence the rugae pattern. Further, studies should be conducted on a larger sample size to get more significant results.