Batool Ali, Attiya Shaikh and Mubassar Fida
The Aga Khan University Hospital, Pakistan
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Oral Health Dent Manag
The palatal rugae have been used as a reference landmark and identification marker by orthodontists and the forensic analysts, respectively. However, the reliability of palatal rugae as a forensic marker remains questionable once an individual is subjected to orthodontic treatment. This study aims at evaluating the changes in the rugae pattern after non-extraction, extraction and maxillary expansion orthodontic treatment. The lengths and shapes of palatal rugae were evaluated on the pre-treatment and post-treatment dental casts of 168 subjects using Thomas and Kotze classification. Extraction treatment significantly reduced the second and third rugae lengths (p<0.05); whereas, the third rugae length was significantly increased after palatal expansion (p<0.05). The shape of rugae remained consistent in all the study groups which may be used as a reliable forensic marker in subjects undergoing orthodontic treatment. However, the use of the lengths of palatal rugae in forensic odontology must be made with caution.
Batool Ali has completed her Bachelor of Dental Surgery from the Karachi Medical & Dental College which is associated with Karachi University and is currently pursuing her Post-graduate studies in Orthodontics at the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. She is a final year resident in the program of Orthodontics. Over the last few years she has published 4 papers in reputed journals.
Email: batool.hussain@aku.edu