Possible Role of Palatal Rugae Patterns for Sex Determination in Forensic Dentistry: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study
Subject Areas : Medical Basic Sciences
Mohsen Karimi
1
(Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran)
Arash Ghodousi
2
(Community Health Research Center, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran)
MohammadJavad Saeedi-Borujeni
3
(Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.)
Keywords: sex determination, palatal rugae, forensic dentistry,
Abstract :
Background: Recently, rugoscopy has attracted much attention in forensic science. The purpose of the pre-sent study was to investigate the sex differences in morphological structure and number of hard palates rugae. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, 100 female and male students were en-rolled based on inclusion criteria. To investigate the number and shape of palate rugae impressions were provided using hydrocolloid materials. Then impressions were sharpened using a graphical pencil and were reconstructed using Image J software. The Data was analyzed with the t-test, and Mann-Whitney sta-tistical tests (α=0.05). Results: The total number of the right and left straight rugae was significantly higher in males (p = 0.039). The number of circular rugae on the right side and, primary rugae on the left side of males, was signifi-cantly higher (p = 0.048). There was also a significant difference between males and females in the total number of circular rugae (p = 0.003). No significant difference was observed between the two sexes in the other variables. Based on audit analysis, this model correctly predicted 66% of females and 34% of males studied. The ability of this function to classify cases in other samples and in the general case was estimated at 64%. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the number and morphology of palatal rugae can be used for sex esti-mation in forensic dentistry but additional studies with a larger sample size are needed to make a definitive statement.