Stability of palatal rugae in cle???? pa????ents following palatal expansion: A Forensic odontology perspec????ve

Abstract

Introduction:Palatal rugae have been recognized for their role in forensic iden????fica????on as they remain stable throughout an individual’s
growth and even a????er orthodon????c treatments. This study evaluated the stability of palatal rugae a????er palatal expansion of
cle???? pa????ents in the transverse dimension.
Material and method:
Sample size consisted of 10 pa????ents where 6 pa????ents were treated by rapid maxillary expansion and 4 were treated by slow
maxillary expansion. On the pre and post expansion cast; first, second and third rugae were recorded. Digital caliper was
used to assess the changes in the transverse posi????on of rugae by measuring the inter medial and inter lateral rugae distances.
Results:
A sta????s????cally significant increase was seen in values between medial aspect of 2nd and 3rd rugae and lateral aspects of 1st ,
2nd and 3rd rugae. Conclusion: The only stable reference mark was mesial aspect of first rugae.