Trizzino, A.; Messina, P.; Sciarra, F.M.; Zerbo, S.; Argo, A.; Scardina, G.A. Palatal Rugae as a Discriminating Factor in Determining Sex: A New Method Applicable in Forensic Odontology? Dent. J.2023, 11, 204.
Trizzino, A.; Messina, P.; Sciarra, F.M.; Zerbo, S.; Argo, A.; Scardina, G.A. Palatal Rugae as a Discriminating Factor in Determining Sex: A New Method Applicable in Forensic Odontology? Dent. J. 2023, 11, 204.
Trizzino, A.; Messina, P.; Sciarra, F.M.; Zerbo, S.; Argo, A.; Scardina, G.A. Palatal Rugae as a Discriminating Factor in Determining Sex: A New Method Applicable in Forensic Odontology? Dent. J.2023, 11, 204.
Trizzino, A.; Messina, P.; Sciarra, F.M.; Zerbo, S.; Argo, A.; Scardina, G.A. Palatal Rugae as a Discriminating Factor in Determining Sex: A New Method Applicable in Forensic Odontology? Dent. J. 2023, 11, 204.
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to identify gender by highlighting common coordinates and discriminating coordinates in the two sexes through palatal rugoscopy, comparing sagittal sections of the hard palate and evaluating the assistance given by digital technology and its applicability in this method. In this study, 85 digital impressions were examined. The impressions were in .stl format. The palatal rugae, retroincisal papilla, and the palatal cusps of the second premolars were isolated using Meshmixer software (Autodesk Inc., San Rafael, CA, USA) by eliminating everything else from the scan. Then the impressions were aligned using the same software so as to be subsequently imported to Geomagic® Control 14 software (3D System, NC, USA). Results: 2,223 impression sections were studied and 145 coordinates that were present with a frequency greater than 50% in one or both groups were obtained: 52 discriminating traits (DT) in the male group, 29 discriminating traits in the female group, and 64 common traits (CT). The sum of all the coordinates found in the 57 impressions was 9,328: 4,569 in the male group and 4,759 in the female group (P=0). The DTs in the female group showed no statistically significant difference from the same coordinates in the male one (P=0.832). Statistically significant differences were observed in the DTs in the male group compared to the same coordinates in the female group (P=0.018). No statistically significant differences were observed in the frequency of DTs in both sexes (P=0.056). Further research in forensic odontology is needed to determine its scientific certainty. It is certain that digital technology may one day be a valuable support for the forensic odontologist but to date the lack of dedicated and certified programs limits its reliability.
Keywords
palatal rugae; sex; forensic dentistry
Subject
Medicine and Pharmacology, Dentistry and Oral Surgery
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
