Rom J Leg Med [21] 95-100 [2013]DOI: 10.4323/rjlm.2013.95© 2013 Romanian Society of Legal Medicine

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Forensic identification elements with the help of rugoscopy in children

Marius Florentin Popa1,*, Corina Ştefănescu2, Paul-Daniel Corici3

_________________________________________________________________________________________ Abstract: Transverse palatine ridges or palatal rugae (RP) are asymmetrical and irregular increases of the mucosa in the anterior third of the palate, from the lateral membrane of the incisive papilla, arranged in transversal direction from the palatine raphe, in medial-sagital plan. The study was performed on 50 maxillary models from the Orthodontist Clinic of the Dental Medicine Faculty, “Ovidius” University Constanta. The models are from children aged 8 up to 17 years old, which were presented to the clinic for different odontal and orthodontic treatments. The scope of this study is to demonstrate the possibility to forensically and odonto-dentally identify through the description of form and biometric characteristics of the palatine rugae, analyzing their prevalence and comparing them with previously obtained results, from a study performed on 72 adult subjects. All types of form were met: angular, circular, undulated and linear. There were no similarities between sexes or the age groups examined; all we can state is that female subjects have generally a larger number of rugae, with a greater variability of forms. The largest number of palatine rugae was found in a boy of 9 years – 22 rugae. Analyzing the entire lot we observed that most of the models present an uneven number of palatine rugae. Comparing with other studies performed on adults the total number average of rugae, indifferent of sex, is larger in children – 12.44 than in adults – 10.43. Palatine rugae are unique for each individual, whether it’s adult or child. Inchildrenweencounteredformparticularitiesthatcannotbeincludedinclassicclassificationsfromliterature. Key Words:rugoscopy,forensicidentification,palatinerugae,comparativemodels.

1) University “Ovidius” Constanţa, Faculty of Medicine, Forensic Medicine Department* Corresponding author: Marius Florentin Popa, Lecturer, MD, PhD, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine "Ovidius" University, Constanta,; Forensic County Service, 2 Zmeurei Alley, Constanta, Romania; Phone +40788306043, E-mail: marius_popa2005@yahoo.com2) University “Ovidius” Constanţa, Faculty of Medicine, Mobile Protetics Department3) Morphopathology Department, Constanţa County Clinical Emergency Hospital

Transverse palatine ridges or palatine rugae (RP) are asymmetrical and irregular

formations of the mucosa, situated in the anterior third of the palate, formed from the lateral membrane of the incisive papilla, disposed in transversal direction from the palatine raphe in medial-sagital plan. These formations were used in forensic identification procedures due totheir morphologic individual characteristic, which are stable in time [11, 30, 41]. Palatine rugae appear in the third month of

intrauterine life, from the conjunctive tissue that covers the palatine processes of the maxillary bone, and their development is reciprocally controlled by epithelial-mesenchymal interactions, in the case when molecules, specifictotheextracellularmatrixareexprimed,inspaceand time, during development [13]. The first ruga is found in human embryos of32mm, LCR [6], together with the incisive papilla. Then, in the prenatal phase, are relatively prominent, [14, 42] and at birth are well prepared, with a typical orientation

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model [14]; they have their final characteristic formin adolescence for each individual [46]. Once they are formed,theycansuffermodificationsindimension,dueto palate growth, but the form is maintained [17, 21]. Palatine rugae were considered relevant for human identificationduetotheirstability[26],beingequivalentwith digital prints, unique for each individual [23]; the study for person identification is called palatoscopy orrugoscopy of the palate [11]. Thus, the analysis of forms

and dimension for rugae is insufficiently described. Even in catastrophic accidents (explosions, earthquakes,fires,trainorplanecrashes)thefingerprintscan be destroyed but, palatal rugae patterns are preserved. Once they formed they won`t undergo changes (the exception is length, due to normal growth) and they remain in the same position throughout the entire life [40]. Rugoscopy can be used as a identificationmethod in necropsy. Rugoscopy can be very usefull in those caseswhere there are no fingerprints available -decomposed bodies, burned bodies and conditions were limbs are missing [27].

Material and Methods

The study was performed on a number of 50 auxiliary methods from the model range of the Orthodontist Clinic of the Dental Medicine Faculty, “Ovidius” University Constanţa. The models are fromchildren aged 8 up to 17 years old, which were presented to the clinic for different odontal and orthodontic treatments. Each study model was numbered and marked for age, gender and patient's initials. Their analysis was performed after a previous marking of the palatine rugae with a smooth graphite pencil. They were examined for: total number of rugae, number of primary, secondary and fragmentary rugae, their form (punctiform, linear, curved, angular, undulated, circular);unification(divergentorconvergent),direction(positive, negative or null). Each particular model was marked with obser-vations, which conferred its originality. Consequently, the aim of this study is to demonstrate the possibility of forensic identification, from an odonto-stomatologicalpoint of view, by describing their form or biometrical characteristics, analyzing their prevalence and compar-ing with previous results from a study performed on 72 adult subjects.

results and discussion

From the point of view of the form we encountered all the tyoes: angular, circular, undulated and linear (Figure 4). There were no similarities between sexes or the age groups examined; all that we can state is that female subjects had generally a greater number of rugae, with a larger variability of forms. The greatest number of palatine rugae was found in a 9 year boy – 22 rugae (Figure 5). The minimum number of palatine rugae was 6, met in two cases, an 8 year boy and a 17 year girl. In children we encountered aseriesofparticularrugaethatcouldnotbeclassifiedinany of the categories of forms existing in the literature (Figure 6). We also seen that the parity is not constant,

Figure 1. Primary rugae - red arrow - larger than 5mm.

Figure 2. Secondary rugae - black arrow - between 3 and 5 mm.

Figure 3. Fragmentary rugae - yellow arrow - length of 2 - 3mm.

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and symmetry is not a characteristic of these anatomical elements. The study lot comprised a number of 50 models, from which 24 belong to the female gender and 26 to male. The children’s age varies from 8 to 17 years, having an average of 11.92 years in girls and 11.77 years in boys, proving that the majority of the children have mixed dentition. From the point of view of total number

of rugae: the smallest number was 6, the largest 22. Regarding the percentage of total number of rugae in girls we observed that 5 models have 15 rugae, 4 models have 8 rugae, the rest varying from 6 to 18. There was no correlation that could be made between the total number of rugae and age, with no relevant similarities. In boys, the total number of rugae varies from 6 to 22, with a ratio of 12 rugae in 5 models, 9 rugae in 5 models, 13 rugae in 4 models. There was also no correlation with the age of the subjects. Analyzing the entire lot we observed that the most models present an uneven number of palatine rugae. Comparative with other studies performed on adults, the average of total number of rugae, regardless the gender, is greater in children – 12.44 than adults – 10.43. From the total of 50 studied models, 20 had paired rugae and 30 had unpaired rugae. Analyzing both genders we observed that the majority of the models had an uneven number of rugae (Figure 6). The length of the rugae is prevalent of the primary type, regardless the patient’s gender, followed by the secondary type and the fragmentary type. The analysis of the entire lot demonstrated that a number of 8 children present only rugae of primary type

Angular rugae Circular rugae

Figure 4. Different rugae forms observed.Undulated rugae Linear rugae

Figure 5. B. A., male, 9 years old, – total number of rugae 22.

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and a number of 18 present only primary and secondary type rugae. Fragmentary type rugae are not constant, appearing more frequently in boys in the study lot. In girls, 4 models presented only primary rugae, 9 models presented primary and secondary rugae and only one model presented only primary and fragmentary rugae.

In boys, 4 models presented only primary rugae, 10 models presented primary and secondary rugae and 2 model presented only primary and fragmentary rugae. From the point of view of the palatine rugae length the sexual dimorphism cannot be realized and no correlation has been found with the child’s age. Analyzing comparatively the children lot and the adult

one we observed a couple of similarities with regard of palatine rugae length. From the point of view of the form in the entire studied lot we saw that the greatest number of palatine rugae is curved, followed in order by linear, undulated, punctiform, angular and circular forms (Figure 8). When comparing the adults and children groups the first significantdifferences were observed. In the adults group the order from the point of view of ratio form was: linear, followed by undulated, curved, angular, punctiform and circular. We observed an important difference that cannot be neglected, but cannotbealthoughclassifiedas sexual dimorphism and that is represented by the type of unification in bothgenders. In girls convergent rugae are prevalent and in boys divergent rugae prevail. There is a significantparticular in boys and girls

Figure 6.Particularrugaethatcouldnotbeclassifiedinanyofthecategoriesofformsexisting.

M.G., male, 12 years old, palatine ruga resembling to the Japanese sound “chi”

L.R., male, 12 years old, palatine ruga of “mushroom” form

“Cat” form

Figure 7. Symmetry of the rugae.

Figure 9. Number variation of rugae in males, consideringunification.

Figure 8. Group of study analysis regarding the form.

Figure 10. Number variation of rugae in females,consideringunification.

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both;insomecasestheunificationcannotbeclassified,due to peculiar forms of the rugae (Figures 9 and 10). Concerning direction, when comparing the adult females group with the girls group, we saw that, although the percentage of positive rugae prevails in both cases, in the girls group there is a large number of rugae with perpendicular direction to the median palatine raphe, which is equivalent with direction 0. For the boys group we observed that the positive rugae are almost equal in percentage as the perpendicular ones, 38 and 37%, respectively, comparing to the adult male group where the perpendicular rugae have a very small number, prevailing the positive and negative ones.

discussion

Lysell, and Sassoumi [25] thought that, in general, palatine rugae are unchanged for the entire life, but observed that this cannot apply in all the aspects. Hausser [15] observed that, in patients that were treated orthodontic, the lateral margins of the rugae migrated forward with approximately half of the migration distance of the adjacent teeth, while de median rugae were not affected. In a study regarding the changes performed on 15 patients that suffered the extraction of four premolars, Peavy and Kendrick [31] reported that the lateral ends of the rugae that ended close to the teeth followed the movement of the teeth in sagittal plan, but not in transversal plan. Studies performed by English et al. [13] proved that the rugae pattern was absolutely unique for a person and it could be used in identification. The differencesbetween sexes were also studied, using palatoscopy, but

no conclusion was reached. Caldas [8] reported that the palatine rugae were firstdescribedbyWinslowin1753[45]andinspiteofthis,Kuppler, in1897,wasthefirstpersonthatstudiedthe anatomy of the palate in order to identify racial anatomical characteristics. They also cited in their paper that the palatine rugoscopy was proposed for the firsttime in 1932 by a Spanish investigator named Trobo Hermisa. In 1937 Carrea [8] developed a detailed study and established a method to classify palatine rugae, but, aftermanyauthors,Lysell[25]developedthefirstsystemofclassificationforthepalatinerugaepairs.ThomasandKotze [40], in their study, visualized the problems in classificationand interpretationofdetailedandandlessvariations that were found in the palatine rugae.

conclusions

Palatine rugae are unique for each individual, regardless if it’s an adult or a child. There is no correlation possible to make between studied parameters, age and sex of patients, being impossible to identify on the basis of sexual dimorphism. Significant differences were observed whencomparing the group of children studied with a group of adults studied previously, namely concerning the form and direction of the palatine rugae. There were form particularities found in children,thatcannotbeclassifiedinclassicrangesfromthe literature. From the comparative analysis of the palatine rugae lengths it can be concluded that the primary rugae in adults have a larger number, which denotes that palatine rugae enlarge together with the maxillary increment.

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