Palatal Rugae Patterns as a Bioindicator for Forensic Identification in Kodava and Tibetan Populations of India.

Background: Palatal rugae are distinct to each individual and are highly specific to each individual as their fingerprints. Rugae pattern are specific to different racial groups making it convenient for population identification. Palatal rugae retain their shape throughout life and hence can be useful as an identification tool.

Comparison of palatal rugae patterns in Kodava and Malayalee populations of South India.

Introduction: The palatal rugae pattern is unique to humans and may be specific to ethnic groups hence useful in population identification in forensic dentistry. The present study has been carried out to analyze the rugae pattern in two populations in and around Coorg, with objectives to analyze the palatal rugae pattern among Kodavas and Malayalees and to analyze the rugae pattern between sexes within each group.

Materials And Methods: The sample comprised two population groups in Coorg namely Kodavas and Malayalees, (n = 30) from each group, age-range of 18-30 years, equally distributed between the sexes.