Rugae: Solve the mystery

In today's modern society, death is a complicated medico-legal matter. The identification of human remains is necessary- so that a death certificate can be issued which is needed to resolve legal matters such as insurance claim and will etc. An ideal postmortem identifier is one that is present in all victims, is resistant to change (aging, trauma, and so forth), and has individual characteristics which are unique in every person. Palatal Rugae are anatomic folds or wrinkles of irregular fibrous connective tissue located on the anterior one third of the palate behind the incisive papilla. Palatal rugae have been equated to fingerprints in there uniqueness to an individual. Rugae patterns are specific to racial populations, though they cannot be used as genetic identifiers Thus their uniqueness, postmortem stability overall resistance and additionally low cost makes palatal rugae the ideal forensic identification parameter. This feature of palatal rugae instigated us to carry out a study so as to determine the sexual dimorphism related to palatal rugae patterns. The study was carried out in the north Indian population group consisting of 30 males and 30 females. We used digital program to record the data.