Assessment of palatal rugae pattern and its significance in orthodontics and forensic odontology

BACKGROUND: Palatal rugae are nonidentical mucosal elevations seen on anterior third of palate. They are arranged in transverse direction on either side of the mid-palatine raphe. Although they are the most stable anatomical structures in the oral cavity, certain conditions such as expansion in orthodontic treatment contribute to some amount of variations in their pattern qualitatively. The aim of this study was to compare the shape of rugae and its positional changes before and after rapid maxillary expansion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen pairs of pre- and post-maxillary expansion casts showing finer details of palatal rugae from seven males to eight females in the age group of 10 ± 2.5 years were selected for this study with transverse maxillary deficiency reporting to Department of Orthodontics, VS Dental College and Hospital. The shape of rugae and the distance between the median points and lateral points of the first and the last two rugae on either side of the mid-palatal raphe were noted and marked. The data collected was statistically analyzed using SPSS program. RESULTS: There was statistically significant difference in the distance between medial and lateral points of first two and last two rugae. CONCLUSION: During maxillary expansion, there is stability of palatal rugae with respect to its shape, number but not with respect to its position. Clinically, the orthodontist can quantify the palatal separation after expansion of the maxillary arch using the interruga distance.