Evaluation of palatal rugae pattern for gender determination and personal identification by comparing simulated antemortem and post mortem records in edentulous patients using a digital method.

Background: Palatal rugoscopy offers a potential solution for identifying victims with severely damaged remains. Unlike teeth, rugae remain stable, even in extreme conditions. This study focuses on edentulous individuals, a previously unexplored area, to assess the potential of digital rugae analysis for personal identification and gender determination.

Materials and methods: This study involved 138 edentulous patients seeking dentures. Maxillary casts were created from both intraoral impressions (Set A) which simulated ante mortem record and denture tissue surfaces (Set B) which simulated post mortem record. Set A was digitally scanned using Medit extraoral scanner, while Set B was photographed. Rugae patterns were classified based on shape and unification by digital analysis for gender determination. For personal identification, the simulated ante mortem and post mortem record patterns were digitally matched using adobe photoshop by overlapping the images to assess personal identification accuracy. Examiners determined the gender of individuals based solely on their rugae patterns and derived a formula.

Results: Palatal rugae analysis showed potential for gender determination and identification. Females had more curved rugae, while males had more wavy ones. Digital matching achieved high accuracy for gender prediction (96.03% sensitivity, 97.58% PPV). Rugae matching also showed promise for personal identification (95.97% sensitivity, 95.97% PPV).

Conclusions: This study demonstrates that palatal rugae patterns, even in edentulous individuals, offer reliable indicators for both gender determination and personal identification. Digital analysis and matching techniques yielded high accuracy, highlighting their forensic applicability in scenarios with compromised remains.