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. The present study aimed at analyzing the differences in rugae pattern among Kodavas and Tibetan populations of Coorg, India and to examine if there was a difference in the rugae pattern between males and females within each group. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study comprised of 30 participants between 18 and 30 years of age, equally distributed between genders from each group. Examination of maxillary cast after tracing the rugae patterns was carried out. Rugae pattern was classified as "straight," "wavy," "curved," "circular" and "unification." Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 16 software. Non-parametric Mann-Whitney test was used for pairwise comparison of two populations. Mann-Whitney two-tailed test was used to test the difference between males and females. RESULTS Results showed that wavy pattern was highest for both the groups. Circular rugae were totally absent in both the groups. There was a significant difference between Kodavas (mean = 1.000) and Tibetans (mean = 0.13) for unification pattern (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION Palatal rugae patterns can be used as a bioindicator for human identification.