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Significance of Palatal Rugae: A Review

Article · December 2012

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 Sanjaya P.R et al

Review
ARTICLE

Significance of Palatal Rugae: A Review

Sanjaya P.R., Gokul S, Prithviraj K. J, S.Rajendra Contact Author:
Sanjaya P.R.
e-mail: drsanjaynayak@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

Human identification is an important aspect of forensic sciences and various methods such
as DNA analysis; fingerprinting and dental comparisons are currently employed. Dental
comparisons mainly utilize the human dentition for identification purposes which serves
as a vital source of information as they are resistant to various external and internal
factors. In addition to the dentition, use of oral and perioral soft tissues have also been
employed for forensic investigations especially in the absence of the former. Rugoscopy, or
palatal rugae analysis is a vital component of forensic odontology that is being
investigated for use in human identification. This technique has several advantages and
sufficient knowledge of types of palatal rugae and the various methods available for
analysis may aid in proper understanding. Hence, this paper provides an overview on
classification of palatal rugae, methods of rugae analysis and a note on its applications in
forensic odontology.

Key words: Palatal rugae; Forensic investigation; personal identification.

Dentistry has much to offer law Interest in forensic dentistry was

enforcement in the detection and solution relatively dormant until the 1960s and it
of crime or in civil proceedings. Forensic was only during the past 30 years or so
dental fieldwork requires an that the forensic odontologists has become
interdisciplinary knowledge of dental a distinct specialist, achieving a more
science. 1 The term forensic is derived visible and productive position within the
from the latin word Forum meaning forensic sciences. Teeth with their
“Court of Law”. 2 physiological variations, pathoses and
effects of therapy, record information that

International Journal of Dental Update 2012;2(2):74-82 74 0

Sanjaya P.R et al
remains throughout life and beyond.
Identification by teeth dates back to early
as 66A.D. Teeth are highly resistant to
destruction and decomposition, so dental
identification can be made under extreme
circumstances. Although the use of teeth in
forensic investigations is well
documented; circumstances exist where
other oral and peri-oral tissues may serve
as important source of human
identification. Examination of palatal
rugae known as rugoscopy is one such
field of forensic odontology which has
received significant importance.
Palatal rugae also referred to as
plicae palatine transversae or rugae
palatine3 are asymmetrical and irregular
elevations of the mucosa located in the
anterior third of the palate, made from the
lateral membrane of the incisive papilla
arranged in transverse direction from
palatine raphe located in the mid-sagittal
plane. 4 These formations have been used
in medicolegal identification processes
because of the stability of their individual
morphological characteristics over time.
Palatal rugae can be used successfully in
human identification particularly in
circumstances like natural disasters,
accidents, burns, brutal homicides due to
their special anatomical features.4
Palatal rugae are advantageous in
that they resist decomposition to an extent,
they seldom change shape with age &
reappear after trauma/ surgical procedures
and are well protected by the lips, cheeks,
tongue, buccal pad of fat & teeth in
incidents of fire & high-impact trauma.5
They remain unaltered by chemicals, heat,
disease or trauma 6 and are considered
unique to every individual.7
International Journal of Dental Update 2012;2(2):74-82
This paper provides an overview
on various classifications of palatal rugae
and their use in forensic investigations
with pertinent literature review on various
studies performed.
Background:
Historically rugae were first
described in 1732 by Winslow. The
earliest illustration of palatal rugae was
probably by Santorini in 1775, wherein he
put a drawing depicting three wavy lines
crossing the midline of the palate. The first
classification system was put forth by
Goria in 1911 where the author
characterized rugae pattern by specifying
either the number of rugae or the rugae
zone relative to the teeth. 8 The first
suggestion of using palatal rugae as a
method for personal identification was first
suggested by Harrison Allen in 1889. 9
Thomas and van Wyke have documented a
successful identification of a severely
burnt edentulous body by comparing the
rugae patterns with ante-mortem records.
10
Embryologically, palatal rugae
appears towards the third month of
intrauterine life from the covering
connective tissue in the palatal process of
maxillary bone. 11 The first rugae are
distinguished in human embryos of 32 mm
CRL next to the incisive papilla. 4 In the
human embryo they are relatively
prominent occupying much of the length
of the palatal shelves and as growth
advances are confined to the anterior part
of the secondary palate. 12 Once formed
they may experience changes in their size
due to growth of the palate, but its shape is
generally maintained. 13
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Sanjaya P.R et al

Palatal rugae analysis may serve as more simple rugae and were
an important aid in forensic investigations classified as type X.
as they are considered unique to each Classification Rugae type
individual. Their shape, direction and Type A Point
unification remains stable throughout life. Type B Line
14
They are protected from trauma and Type C Curve
high temperature due to its internal Type D Angle
position in the head and seem to resist Type E Sinuous
change in shape secondary to such Type F Circle
changes. 4 Palatal rugae may aid in post-
mortem identification provided an ante- II] According to Lysell: Palatal rugae were
mortem record exist. 10 Rugae analysis classified depending on its length into 18
may be helpful in racial profiling as
studies indicate that they may be specific  Primary rugae: 5mms or more
to certain racial groups. 3, 15 Difficulties  Secondary rugae: 3 to 5mm
may arise when several events such as
extreme finger sucking in infancy,  Fragmentary rugae: 2 to 3 mm
persistent pressure with orthodontic  Rugae smaller than 2mm are
treatment (which causes movement of disregarded
premolars and molars in a sagittal
III] Kapali et al classification:3 Depending
direction causing displacement of lateral
on the shape, palatal rugae could be
parts of rugae) and dentures may
divided into
contribute to changes to rugae pattern. 12, 16
 curved,
Classification:
 wavy,
The first system of classification
was developed by Goria in 1911 and was  straight and
rudimentary. The rugae pattern was  circular.
categorized in 2 ways: specifying the
IV] Carrea classification: Palatal rugae
number of rugae and specifying the extent
were divided into four different types
of the rugal zone relative to the teeth.
according to their form. They include: 19
Goria further distinguished two types of
rugae namely simple or primitive and Type I Posterior-anterior directed rugae
more developed. 17
Type II Rugae perpendicular to the raphe
I] By Trobo: According to this Type III Anterior-posterior directed rugae
classification, palatal rugae was classified
Type IV Rugae directed in several directions
into two groups: 4
V] Martins dos Santos classification:
 Simple rugae: Where rugae shapes Based on the form and position of each
were well defined and further sub- palatal rugae, this classification indicates
classified as A, B, C, D, E F. and characterizes the following: 19
 Compound rugae: Where rugae
were formed by union of two or

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Sanjaya P.R et al

 One initial rugae; the most anterior Prinicipal rugae Accessory Rugae
one on the right side is represented classification rugae anatomy
by a capital letter; classification
A 1 Point
 Several complementary rugae; the B 2 Line
other right rugae are represented by C 3 Angle
numbers; D 4 Sinuous
E 5 Curve
 One subinitial rugae; the most
F 6 Circle
anterior one on the left side is X 7 Polymorphic
represented by a capital letter; VIII] Thomas and Kotze gave a detailed
 Several subcomplementary rugae; classification consisting of the following:
17
the other left rugae are represented
by numbers.
 Rugae dimension and prevalence:
Rugae type Anterior position Other positions
o Length: determined
Point P 0
Line L 1
according to the latest rugal
Curve C 2 dimension and is classified
Angle A 3 as primary, secondary or
Circle C 4 fragmentary rugae.
Sinuous S 5
o Prevalence: Ruga is
Bifurcated B 6
determined by counting and
Trifurcated T 7
recording the number in
Interrupt I 8
Anomaly An 9 each category (primary,
VI] da Silva classification: In this classification, secondary and fragmentary)
palatal rugae are divided into two groups: simple, and not the total number on
from 1 to 6 and composed, resulting from two or each side.
more simple rugae. They are named according to
19 o Area: determination of the
each rugae number.
Classification Rugae type surface area of the primary
1 Line rugae.
2 Curve  Primary rugae details: these can be
3 Angle
described as annular, papillary,
4 Circle
crosslink, branches, unification,
5 Wavy
6 Point
breaks, unification with non-
primary rugae.

VII] Basauri classification: It distinguishes  Rugae pattern dimensions:

between the principal rugae, which is the o Distance between most
more anterior one (labelled with letters) anterior point on incisive
and the accessory rugae, which concerns papilla and most anterior
all the remaining rugae (labelled with point on rugae pattern
numbers). The rugogram is elaborated regardless of the side.
beginning from the right side of the palate.
19

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Sanjaya P.R et al
o Distance between incisive
papilla to posterior border
of the last primary or
secondary rugae
o Distance between incisive
papilla to the posterior
border of the last rugae
(including fragmentary)
 Angle of divergence: measured in
degreed between the line formed
by the medial palatal raphe and line
joining incisive papilla with the
origin of most posterior primary or
secondary rugae on one side of the
palate.
 Dental arch and palate dimensions:
o Width: Line joining the tips
of mesio-palatal cusp of
permanent maxillary first
molar or the deciduous
second molar is used to
project a point below and
perpendicular to it on the
gingival margin to
determine the width.
o Depth: Point below and
perpendicular to line
joining the tips of mesio-
palatal cusp of permanent
maxillary first molar or the
deciduous second molar on
the mid palatal raphe is
used to determine the depth.
o Center: Perpendicular
distance between the line
joining the tips of mesio-
palatal cusp of permanent
maxillary first molar or the
deciduous second molar
and the point on mid palatal
raphe determines the center.
International Journal of Dental Update 2012;2(2):74-82
Methods of rugae analysis:
Various methods of palatal rugae
analysis are available currently. Intra-oral
examination is the most used technique as
it is easy to perform and is cost effective.
The disadvantage is that no records exist
with this method which makes future
comparisons impossible. 19 In order to
obtain a detailed and exact analysis and
also to overcome the problems concerning
future comparisons, oral impressions and
oral photographs are required. The use of
dental casts is advantageous as they
simplify analysis, reduce cost and can be
easily done in any laboratory. 20 Once the
dental casts are made, the rugae outline are
drawn confining to the shape of the
individual ruga and the length is also
measured. This is done as per the standard
classification and according to the
individual study design. The utilization of
digital photography, personal computers
and specific softwares to edit and use
digital images allow a significant
improvement in recognition of the rugae
pattern thereby allowing easy handling.
Another technique describes the
superimposition of the photographs for
comparison of palatal rugae. The results
can be enhanced by the use of computer
software such as Adobe Photoshop. 20
Computer software programs such as
RUGFP-ID match are available for palatal
rugae analysis. 5 Calcorrugoscopy, or the
overlay print of palatal rugae can be used
to perform comparative analysis. Other
complex techniques like stereoscopy for
obtaining a three dimensional image of
palatal rugae anatomy,
stereophotogrammetry which allows for an
accurate determination of the length and
position of every single palatal ruga can
also be used. 19
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Sanjaya P.R et al
Palatal rugae as an aid in forensic
investigations:
Since the initial documentation on
the use of palatal rugae in forensic
investigations by Allen in 1889, several
studies were conducted to assess the utility
of palatal rugae especially in personal
identification. The basic assumption for its
use was that the rugae pattern were unique
to every individual just like fingerprints
and did not change during the course of
life and was well protected from the
various environmental factors.
Classification of the rugae based on the
length as well as the shape formed the
basis for use in personal identification and
most of the studies were aimed to
determine this aspect of palatal rugae
analysis.
Evidence suggest the stability of
palatal rugae in conditions of extreme
thermal changes as noticed in a study
conducted to determine the extent of
preservation of palatal rugae for use as an
alternative identification tool in mass
disasters, using a study group comprising
burn victims and cadavers simulating
forensic cases of incineration and
decomposition. The thermal effects and
the decomposition changes on the palatal
rugae of burn victims with panfacial third
degree burns and human cadavers in
storage were respectively assessed and
graded on a new scale. Ninety three
percent of burn victims and 77% of human
cadavers had Grade 0 changes (normal).
When changes were noted, they were less
pronounced than the generalized body
involvement of burns in burn victims and
the generalized body decomposition of
human cadavers. 21
International Journal of Dental Update 2012;2(2):74-82
Earlier studies performed by
Hauser to determine rugae patterns in two
genetically and environmentally distinct
populations (Swazis and Greeks) showed
that the distribution of the number of main
ridges in Swazi was significantly different
from that among the Greeks, with a greater
proportion of Swazi having higher main
ridge numbers. 12
Analysis of palatal rugae forms in
two population groups residing in
Australia (Australian Aborigines and
Caucasians) found an overall statistically
significant association between rugae
forms and ethnicity. The number of
primary rugae was higher in Australian
Aborigines but Caucasians showed higher
proportion of rugae longer than 10mm.
Among the shapes it was found that
straight forms were more common in
Caucasians while wavy forms were
commoner in Aborigines. No significant
changes in rugae shape were noted
between males and female.3 A study was
conducted among 120 samples (60 males
and 60 females) to identify sexual
differences in the palatal rugae pattern and
sexual dimorphism was found in the shape
of the palatal rugae. No significant
differences were observed in the number
and the length of the palatal rugae.14
Though the study indicated the use of
palatal rugae as an adjuvant in sex
identification among Indian population,
confirmation of the results over a larger
population size is required.
A study performed to compare the
rugae patterns between two groups of
Indian population categorized as Southern
Indians and Western Indians showed that
wavy and curved forms were most
prevalent in both the groups followed by
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Sanjaya P.R et al
straight rugae. Statistically significant
differences were observed between the
rugae shapes in the two population groups
but sexual dimorphism was not present.
The study also attempted to differentiate
between population groups based on the
shape of the rugae and concluded that
moderate differentiation could be
performed between population groups
thereby suggesting that discrete variables
such as shape are better suited for this
purpose than continuous variables such as
rugae length. 10
Comparison of rugae pattern in
Indian and Tibetian population have
reported that the former have significantly
higher number of curved rugae and the
latter have a higher number of wavy
rugae.15 Other studies carried out amongst
geographically different regions in India
such as between Madhya Pradesh and
Kerala22 and Karnataka and Manipur 23
have found significant differences in rugae
pattern.
To summarize, palatal rugae as an
aid in forensic investigations are primarily
used for population differentiation and
personal identification with minimal
contribution towards sexual dimorphisms.
It can be of great interest in human
identification as it is possible to maintain
ante-mortem data in the form of dental
casts, maxillary prosthetic devices and
intra-oral radiographs. Also, palatal rugae
analysis may not be helpful in crime scene
investigations linking the suspect to the
crime as this type of evidence is not
expected to be found in such
circumstances. Nevertheless palatal rugae
may serve as an adjuvant to other
techniques such as DNA analysis and
International Journal of Dental Update 2012;2(2):74-82
fingerprinting in forensic investigations
especially in human identification.
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Authors:

Sanjaya P.R.
Senior Lecturer,
Dept of Oral Pathology & Microbiology,
Drs. Sudha & Nageshwara Rao Siddhartha
Institute of Dental Sciences & Hospital,
Chinnaoutpalli, Gannavaram Mandal,
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Gokul S
Lecturer, Dept of Oral Pathology and
Microbiology,
YMT Dental College and Hospital,
Institutional Area, Sector 4,
Kharghar, Navi Mumbai.

Prithviraj K. J
Senior lecturer, Dept. of conservative
dentistry and endodontics,
Yenepoya dental college, Deralakatte,
Mangalore, Karnataka

S.Rajendra
Professor, Department of Prosthodontics,
Mysore, Karnataka.

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