Palatine Rugae and Their Significance in

Clinical Dentistry: A Review of the Literature

Manashvini S. Patil, Sanjayagouda B. Patil and
Ashith B. Acharya
J Am Dent Assoc 2008;139;1471-1478

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CLINICAL PRACTICE CRITICAL REVIEW
Palatine rugae and their significance
in clinical dentistry
A review of the literature
Manashvini S. Patil, MDS; Sanjayagouda B. Patil, MDS, MFDS-RCPSG-UK; Ashith B. Acharya, BDS
or centuries, anatomists
F have shown interest in the
evolutionary development
of the folds of tissue found
in the roof of the human
mouth—the palatine rugae.1 The
earliest references to the palatine
rugae are found in various books
about general anatomy. Winslow2
seems to have been the first to
describe them, and the earliest
illustration of them probably is by
Santorini,3 a drawing depicting
three continuous wavy lines that
cross the midline of the palate.
The palatine rugae are ridges sit-
uated in the anterior part of the
palatal mucosa on each side of the
medial palatal raphae and behind
the incisive papilla (IP). At birth,
the palatine rugae are well-formed,
and the pattern of orientation typ-
ical for the person is present.4
Palatine rugae can be used as
internal dental-cast reference points
for quantification of tooth migration
in cases of orthodontic treatment.5
For patients who experience diffi-
culty with their speech patterns
when acclimating to a new pros-
thesis, the texture of the rugae in
the palatal region of the denture
may prove helpful.6
When traffic accidents, acts of
Copyright © 2008 American Dental Association. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission
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ABSTRACT
Background. The palatine rugae have
✷
J
A D
A
®
✷
N
CON
IO
interested dentists not only because of their typical
T
T
pattern of orientation but also because of their use-
A
N
I
U C
fulness as a reference landmark in various dental A ING EDU 2
RT
treatment modalities. The pattern of orientation is ICLE
formed by the 12th to 14th week of prenatal life and remains stable until
the oral mucosa degenerates after death. The palatine rugae possess
unique characteristics that could be used in circumstances in which
it is difficult to identify a dead person according to fingerprints or
dental records.
Types of Studies Reviewed. The authors reviewed the literature
by using key words regarding the anatomy, development, classification,
clinical significance and forensic aspects of palatine rugae.
Conclusion and Clinical Implications. Palatine rugae are per-
manent and unique to each person, and clinicians and scientists can use
them to establish identity through discrimination. If particular rugae
patterns could be established for different ethnic groups, they would
assist the forensic odontologist in the identification of a person. Because
they are a stable landmark, the palatine rugae also can play a significant
role in clinical dentistry.
Key Words. Palatine rugae; forensic dentistry; dental prosthesis;
dental arch; cleft palate; orthodontic tooth movement.
JADA 2008;139(11):1471-1478.
Dr. M.S. Patil is an assistant professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Mahatma
Gandhi Dental College and Hospital, RIICO Institutional Area, Sitapura, Jaipur-302022, Rajasthan,
India, e-mail “sbpatilmanu@gmail.com“. Address reprint requests to Dr. M.S. Patil.
Dr. S.B. Patil is an associate professor, Department of Prosthodontics, Mahatma Gandhi Dental
College and Hospital, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
Dr. Acharya is a lecturer, Department of Forensic Odontology, SDM College of Dental Sciences and
Hospital, Dharwad, Karnataka, India.
JADA, Vol. 139 http://jada.ada.org November 2008 1471
CLINICAL PRACTICE CRITICAL REVIEW
terrorism or mass disasters occur in which it is
difficult to identify a person according to finger-
prints or dental records, palatine rugae may be
an alternative method of identification.7 The pala-
tine rugae are permanent and unique to each
person and can establish identity through dis-
crimination (via casts, tracings or digitized rugae
patterns).8,9
As early as 1955, Lysell10 suggested that the
palatine rugae might possess unique characteris-
tics that could be used in paternity identification.
However, to date, the study of palatine rugae has
not been extensive. The purpose of this article is
to review the literature concerning palatine rugae
and discuss their significance to the dental
profession.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Carrea11 indicated that a rugae pattern is formed
by the 12th to 14th week of prenatal life, and it
remains stable throughout the person’s life.
Lund12 observed that a connective tissue core is
embedded deeply between the submucosal fatty
tissue and the stratum reticulum of the palate.
This core represents a foundation over which the
substance of the rugae builds to become a foldlike
projection in the roof of the mouth. With the
increase in size of the anterior part of the palate
in the early years of life, the length of the rugae
and the distance between them increase. The pat-
tern of orientation of the rugae becomes clearer
and remains unchanged throughout life.13
The number of rugae on each side of the palate
varies between three and five. The palatine rugae
do not extend posteriorly beyond the anterior half
of the hard palate, and they never cross the mid-
line. The anterior rugae usually are more promi-
nent than the posterior rugae (Figure 1). Two-
thirds of the rugae are curved, and the rest are
angular. The last rugae frequently are divided;
the medial and lateral parts are not connected
and do not continue in their axial orientation.
Fragmentary rugae frequently are present, par-
ticularly in the posterior half of the rugae terri-
tory. The shape, length, width, prominence,
number and orientation of palatine rugae vary
considerably among people. Variation also exists,
although to a lesser extent, in the left and right
sides of the same person. The inclination of the
rugae to the sagittal plane can differ markedly
between both sides. In general, no bilateral sym-
metry exists in the rugae pattern.14
Lebret15 used a symmetrograph to record
1472 JADA, Vol. 139 http://jada.ada.org November 2008
Copyright © 2008 American Dental Association. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission
growth-related changes in the shape of the palate
with regard to alterations in the midsagittal and
transverse contours. Lysell10 recorded an increase
in primary ruga length (from 5 to 10 years of age)
of 11 percent for boys and 9 percent for girls. van
der Linden,16 in his longitudinal study of children
aged 6 to 16 years based on 80 series of dental
casts collected yearly, reported that a more or less
continuous and small increase occurred in the dis-
tances between the medial borders of paired
rugae. The same was true for the length of the
three large paired rugae, with the exception being
that after age 10 years, the anterior pair of rugae
no longer increased in length.
Friel17 demonstrated in a study that the teeth
move forward in relation to the rugae in conjunc-
tion with growth of the jaws. He showed that the
posterior boundary of the rugae in relation to
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the teeth tends to extend backward until age
20 years.
CLASSIFICATION OF PALATINE RUGAE
The first system of classification, to our knowl-
edge, was developed by Goria18 in 1911 and was
rudimentary. The rugae pattern was categorized
in two ways: specifying the number of rugae and
specifying the extent of the rugal zone relative to
the teeth.
In this system, compound rugae of two or more
branches were counted as one, whether they were
V- or Y-shaped. Goria further distinguished two
types: simple or primitive and more developed.
Lysell’s10 classification in 1955 is the most
important, and it has been used widely in
research involving rugae. It is comprehensive and
includes the IP. Rugae are measured in a straight
line between the origin and termination and are
grouped into three categories:
dprimary: 5 millimeters or more;
dsecondary: 3 to 5 mm;
dfragmentary: 2 to 3 mm.
Rugae smaller than 2 mm are disregarded.
The rugae on both sides of the palate are num-
bered separately from anterior to posterior and
ABBREVIATION KEY. AP: Anterior-most point.
IP: Incisive papilla. MPE: Mesiopalatal cusp of second
primary molar. MP6: Mesiopalatal cusp of first perma-
nent molar. MRE: Median palatal raphae in relation to
second primary molar. MR6: Median palatal raphae in
relation to first permanent molar. PBA: Posterior
border of last ruga. PB3: Posterior border of last pri-
mary or secondary ruga. 3-D: Three-dimensional.

classified according to shape, position or origin in
relation to the median palatal raphae.
Three categories of unification are recognized
in this system:
dcommon origin diverging laterally;
dseparate origins converging laterally;
dseparate origins converging laterally but
involving one primary and one secondary ruga.
Branching, breaks, papillations, annular for-
mations and spirals are counted, while the rugae
directions are measured in degrees relative to the
median palatal raphae. The clinician observes the
distribution of secondary and fragmentary rugae
by noting their proximity to the nearest primary
ruga while observing the posterior border rela-
tionship with the teeth. The clinician measures
the IP and classifies it according to one of seven
shapes.
In 1955, Carrea19 categorized four main types
of rugae according to direction. They received
Roman numerals, while the sequence was indi-
cated according to Arabic numerals and the shape
denoted by letters.
The classification by Basauri20 consists of two
groups: simple and compound. These, in turn, are
subdivided into 10 types that describe particular
shapes: 0, pointed; 1, straight; 2, curved; 3,
angled; 4, sinuous; 5, circular; 6, Greek; 7, calyx-
shaped; 8, racket-shaped; 9, branched.
The classification by Lima21 consists of four
main types: punctate, straight, curved and
composite.
Each type has a numerical and an alphabetical
symbol, one denoting shape and the other posi-
tion. The author reported that this classification
is usable in forensic work when it is part of the
identification tetralogy: dactyloscopy, odon-
toscopy, rugoscopy and hematography.
Caruso22 subdivided the rugae morphology into
lineomorphism and configuration. He noted the
volume, direction and number of rugae, along
with the relationship between their distal margin
and the teeth.
Tzatscheva and Jordanov23 classified rugae
according to their direction, branching, symmetry
and radiality. They counted the number of rugae,
but if the rugae formed a network, the authors
noted this as such.
Thomas24 used Lysell’s classification with
minor variations. He added features such as
crosslinks. Thomas and Kotze25 presented a
detailed classification of the palatine rugae, as
follows.
Copyright © 2008 American Dental Association. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission
CLINICAL PRACTICE CRITICAL REVIEW
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Figure 1. The palatine rugae.
Rugae dimensions and prevalence. Length.
Length is determined according to the greatest
rugal dimension, and the rugae are classified
according to the system established by Lysell
(that is, primary, secondary or fragmentary).10
Prevalence. The clinician does not count the
total number of rugae on each side of the palate,
but he or she counts and records the number in
each category (that is, primary, secondary or
fragmentary).
Area. The clinician photographs the palate to
determine the surface area of the primary rugae.
Primary rugae details. Annular rugae. To be
considered annular, the rugae must form a defi-
nite ring.
Papillary rugae. A ruga is termed “papillate”
when three or more clefts traverse the ruga at
any depth, but not down to the surrounding
mucosal surface.
Crosslink. This is a small ruga that is a dis-
tinct entity and joins two rugae, usually at a right
angle.
Branches. A branch extends 1 mm or more
from its origin (that is, the parent ruga) in a lat-
eral direction.
Unification. This process occurs when two pri-
mary rugae are joined at their origination points
and then diverge laterally.
Breaks. If a papillation cleft extends down to
the level of the surrounding epithelium (less than
1 mm), it becomes a break.
Unification with nonprimary rugae. This is a
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CLINICAL PRACTICE CRITICAL REVIEW
Figure 2. The three sagittal dimensions used to measure the size
and position of the rugal zone: a-b = incisive papilla (IP) to the
anterior-most point; a-c = IP to the last primary or secondary ruga;
a-d = IP to the posterior border of the last ruga.
convex or concave unification of a primary ruga
and a ruga that is between 1 and 5 mm in length.
Rugae pattern dimensions. IP to anterior-
most point (AP) (IP-AP).25 This is the distance
between the most anterior point on the IP and the
most anterior point on the rugae pattern, regard-
less of side (Figure 2) (a-b).
IP to posterior border of last primary or sec-
ondary ruga (PB3) (IP-PB3).25 This is the distance
between the IP and the most posterior point on
the last primary or secondary ruga (Figure 2)
(a-c).
IP to posterior border of last ruga (PBA)
(IP-PBA).25 This is the distance between the IP
and the most posterior point on the last ruga
(including fragmentary rugae) (Figure 2) (a-d).
Angle of divergence. The clinician measures
the angle of divergence of the rugae pattern in
degrees between the line formed by the median
palatal raphae and the line joining the IP with
the origin of the most posterior primary or sec-
ondary ruga on one side of the palate. He or she
measures the angle of divergence for the other
side in the same manner.
Dental arch and palate dimensions. Width
(mesiopalatal cusp of first permanent molar
[MP6]–MP6 or mesiopalatal cusp of second pri-
mary molar [MPE]–MPE).25 A line joining the tips
of the mesiopalatal cusp of the first permanent
molars or, if these are absent, of the second pri-
mary molars is used to project a point below and
perpendicular to it (at a right angle to the
occlusal plane) on the gingival margin. This point
is labeled MP6 or MPE, respectively, and the cli-
1474 JADA, Vol. 139 http://jada.ada.org
Copyright © 2008 American Dental Association. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission
Figure 3. The four coronal dimensions of the dental arch and
palate: a-b = mesiopalatal cusp of first permanent molar or second
primary molar to mesiopalatal cusp of first permanent molar or
second primary molar; a-c and b-c = mesiopalatal cusp of first per-
manent molar or second primary molar to median palatal raphae in
relation to first permanent molar or second primary molar; d-c = the
perpendicular distance.
nician measures the distance between the points
on both sides of the palate (Figure 3) (a-b).
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Depth (median palatal raphae in relation to
first permanent molar [MR6]–MP6 or median
palatal raphae in relation to second primary
molar [MRE]–MPE).25 The same intercuspal line
for the width (above) is used to project a point
below and perpendicular to it on the median
palatal raphae (MR6 or MRE). The clinician then
measures the distance between MP6 and MR6 or
between MPE and MRE (Figure 3) (a-c, b-c).
Center. This is the perpendicular distance
between the line MP6 to MP6 and the point MR6
(Figure 3) (d-c).
CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF
PALATINE RUGAE
Landmark during orthodontic treatment.
Dental casts are three-dimensional (3-D) records
of malocclusion that have been used successfully
during diagnosis and treatment planning for
orthodontic patients.26 The palatine rugae are
unique to each patient10,27 and are reasonably
stable during the patient’s growth28; thus, they
may serve as suitable reference points from which
the clinician can derive the reference planes nec-
essary for longitudinal cast analysis. Positional
changes of posterior teeth in the anteroposterior
direction are relevant to the diagnosis and correc-
tion of sagittal occlusal abnormalities and arch-
length discrepancies.14
Hausser13 observed orthodontically treated
patients and concluded that the lateral edges of
the rugae moved forward about one-half the dis-
tance of the migration of the adjacent teeth, while
the medial rugae were not affected. In a study of
changes occurring in 15 patients who underwent
November 2008

extraction of four premolars, Peavy and
Kendrick29 reported that the lateral ends of the
rugae that terminated close to the teeth followed
the movement of the teeth in the sagittal plane,
but not in the transverse plane.
van der Linden14 evaluated changes in the posi-
tion of posterior teeth in relation to palatine
rugae in 65 normally growing children (aged 6 to
16 years) and in six orthodontically treated
patients. The maximum mean change in distance
between the rugae in the anteroposterior plane
was 0.41 mm. The authors noted larger move-
ments at both the medial and lateral rugae points
in the orthodontically treated patients.
Tooth movement. Hoggan and Sadowsky30
investigated the use of the palatine rugae as ref-
erence points for measuring tooth movement in a
manner comparable with cephalometric superim-
positions. The authors evaluated the anteroposte-
rior movement of the maxillary first molars and
central incisors with the use of two cephalometric
variables and six study model variables, and they
combined the right and left sides of the palate.
The results showed no statistical differences
between the mean incisor and molar movement
measured cephalometrically and the tooth move-
ment measured relative to the medial and lateral
end of the third palatine ruga. Thus, the authors
concluded that palatine rugae could be used reli-
ably to assess anteroposterior tooth movements.
Simmons and colleagues5 used the longitudinal
database of the Child Research Council of Denver
to examine the anteroposterior stability of the
medial rugal region. Their analysis of the data
indicated that the medial ruga region increased
significantly in anteroposterior length but not
uniformly between the sexes. The authors con-
cluded that such changes were characteristic of
general craniofacial growth and suggest that the
rugae region is responding to the differential
growth of the underlying bone. Thus, the authors
concluded that the medial rugal landmarks did
not appear to be a stable reference point for tooth
migration research.
Palatine rugae in cleft palate. Early diag-
nosis of submucosal cleft palate is important. In
children too young to tolerate nasendoscopy and
videofluoroscopy, the diagnosis depends on the
patient’s clinical history and intraoral exami-
nation findings. Park and colleagues31 studied the
pattern of palatine rugae in submucosal clefts.
The palatal mucosa had a unique feature in 87.5
percent of the submucosal clefts and in 100 per-
Copyright © 2008 American Dental Association. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission
CLINICAL PRACTICE CRITICAL REVIEW
cent of the isolated clefts: one or more of the pala-
tine rugae curved toward the region of the bony
notch in the posterior border of the hard palate.
Kratzsch and Opitz32 investigated the charac-
teristics of the palatal rugal zone by means of
reflex microscopy, a 3-D computer-assisted, touch-
free measuring system. The authors determined
the number and type of rugae before and after
surgical repair of the cleft palate. Each segment
had four or five rugae, similar to the number in
people without a cleft palate. After palatal cleft
repair, the rugae counts per segment decreased
significantly, but the third ruga was never lost
after surgery. The primary rugae in unilateral
and bilateral cleft lip and palate were the same as
those in isolated cleft palates, and they did not
differ from those in people who did not have cleft
lip or palate.
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The linear distance from the tuberosity line to
the rugal zone increased in the unilateral and
bilateral cleft segments before palatal cleft repair,
indicating sagittal maxillary development in the
posterior area of the palate. Surgical repair of the
cleft palate resulted in a significant lessening of
the distance in both segments of unilateral cleft,
most likely due to the displacement of mucosa
and periosteum required to cover the palatal cleft.
In a second study, Kratzsch and Opitz33 investi-
gated the relationship of palatine rugae to points
(landmarks) and distances on the cleft palate
during the period from birth to the time of early
mixed dentition. The authors identified changes
in the distances from the lateral palatine rugae
points of the first and third rugae to the incisal
point, the canine point and the tuberosity line.
The results of their study indicated that a com-
parison of distances from the palatine rugae with
distances between equivalent points revealed the
changes that occurred in the anterior palate
during various stages of orthodontic therapy and
growth.
Palatine rugae in speech and palatal pros-
theses. The significance of palatine rugae in rela-
tionship to speech has not been established.
These characteristic soft-tissue ridges are present
in all primates, and no experimental evidence
exists to support their consideration as a speech
organ.34 Palatography has been used to determine
the optimum thickness and shape of the palatal
surfaces. This approach was developed in a study
of phonetics to determine the contact position of
the tongue relative to the palate in the production
of specific sounds.35,36 Essentially, application of
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CLINICAL PRACTICE CRITICAL REVIEW
these techniques ensured contact between the
tongue and palate during articulation of these
sounds. The “s” and “sh” phonemes have received
particular attention. Palatography frequently has
served as the basis for determining the shape of
the anterior palatal vault most conducive to satis-
factory sound articulation.37,38
Palatal vault. The shape of the palatal vault
is of particular interest to prosthodontists.34
Snow39 described the significance of adequate but
not excessive contour in the anterior palatal and
premolar areas. Central and lateral lisping may
develop when the contours of the prosthesis are
incorrect. Patients whose speech is sensitive to a
changed relationship of the tongue to a palatal
prosthesis may require surface texture to orient
the tongue. The palatine rugae and the IP often
can serve as a cue.40,41 Because the lack of texture
on the palatal portion of a complete denture can
impede proper articulation, one solution is to add
palatine rugae. Unfortunately, the addition of
rugae to a prosthesis is not a foolproof method of
eliminating speech problems.6 Landa42 reported
that rugae in dentures are ineffectual or some-
times detrimental to speech if they add unneces-
sary thickness to the anterior palatal region.
Variation of rugae pattern in different
ethnic groups. There seems to be a significant
association between rugae forms and ethnicity.
Kapali and colleagues43 studied the palatal rugae
pattern in Australian Aborigines and whites.
They observed the number, length, shape, direc-
tion and unification of rugae. The authors con-
cluded that the mean number of primary rugae in
Australian Aborigines was higher than that in
whites, although whites had more primary rugae
that exceeded 10 mm in length. The most
common shapes in both ethnic groups were wavy
and curved forms, while straight and circular
forms were least common.
Kashima44 compared the palatine rugae and
shape of the hard palate in Japanese and Indian
children. They found the following:
dJapanese children had more primary rugae
than did Indian children, but both groups had the
same number of transverse palatine rugae.
dThe two groups differed with regard to primary
rugae shapes, the posterior boundary of the rugal
zone, and the number and position of the sec-
ondary and fragmentary rugae.
dThe palatal raphae of the Japanese children
were wider than those of the Indian children.
dBoth groups had many transverse palatine
1476 JADA, Vol. 139 http://jada.ada.org November 2008
Copyright © 2008 American Dental Association All rights reserved Reprinted by permission
rugae on the left side of the palate. The posterior
border of the rugal zone on the left side was
shifted farther back than it was on the right side.
dThere were no significant differences between
the two sexes in either group.
Shetty and colleagues45 compared the palatine
rugae patterns in Indians with those in a Tibetan
population. The results of their study showed that
males had more rugae on the right side than on
the left side in both populations, Indian males
had more primary rugae on the left side than did
females and vice versa for the Tibetan population,
and Indian males had more curved rugae than
did Tibetan males.
FORENSIC IDENTIFICATION
Establishing a person’s identity can be a difficult
task in cases of traffic accidents or acts of ter-
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rorism or in mass disaster situations.7 Visual
identification, use of dental records and finger-
prints and DNA comparisons probably are the
most common techniques used in this context,
allowing fast and secure reliable identification.
However, visual identification and use of finger-
prints are limited by postmortem changes asso-
ciated with time, temperature and humidity.46
Although teeth are more durable than other parts
of the body, identification via dental records also
may prove to be inconclusive, because dental
treatment might have been performed between
the creation of a dental record and the person’s
death.47 Although DNA profiling is accurate, it is
expensive and time-consuming for use in large
populations.48
It is a well-established fact that the rugae pat-
tern is as unique to a human as are his or her fin-
gerprints,11,27,49-54 and it retains its shape
throughout life.9,10,53,55 The anatomical position of
the rugae inside the mouth—surrounded by
cheeks, lips, tongue, buccal pad of fat, teeth and
bone—keeps them well-protected from trauma
and high temperatures. Thus, they can be used
reliably as a reference landmark during forensic
identification.
Thomas and Van Wyk27 described the identifi-
cation of a severely charred edentulous body with
the help of dentures in the victim’s mouth that
were compared with another set found in the
person’s home. Plaster casts of the tissue surface
of both sets of maxillary dentures were made. The
investigators delineated and photographed the
rugae and midpalatal raphae. They made trac-
ings of each set of rugae on acetate paper and

superimposed them on the photograph of the
other cast. The tracings established a concordance
between the two sets of dentures.
Stone casts. Sognnaes56 advocated the use of
casts made from jaws rather than from dentures
for a more reliable result. Jacob and Shalla57 evalu-
ated the use of dental stone casts derived from
maxillary tissues and from the internal aspects of
maxillary dentures for postmortem identification of
edentulous people. They reported results of 100
percent accuracy when they evaluated the entire
cast and results of 79 percent accuracy when they
evaluated only the rugae tracings from the casts.
Thus, their investigation supported the use of
stone casts derived from the internal aspects of
maxillary dentures for forensic science identifica-
tion when the entire cast topography is considered.
Limson and Julian55 used a computer software
program to evaluate the use of palatine rugae
patterns for forensic identification. The authors
obtained 250 casts by using irreversible hydrocol-
loid. They used a sharp pencil to delineate rugae
and photographed the rugae pattern with a dig-
ital camera; they then transferred the image to a
computer. The authors randomly selected a sub-
sample of 120 people (60 from the original sample
of 250 and 60 from the general population). They
compared the digitized casts with the stored
records. The study results showed a mean sensi-
tivity of 0.93 and a specificity of 1, and for 92 to
97 percent of the subjects, the digitized rugae pat-
tern samples matched the patterns in the stored
records.
Burn victims. Muthusubramanian and col-
leagues58 examined the extent of palatine rugae
preservation for use as an identification tool in
burn victims and cadavers, thus simulating
forensic cases of incineration and decomposition.
Patients with panfacial third-degree burns (full-
thickness burns characterized by multicolored
denatured layers, dry and insensitive to pain
involving skin, subcutaneous tissues, adnexal
structures and nerves and that usually require
skin grafting) were examined within 72 hours
after their accident. In addition, human cadavers
stored in a mortuary at 5˚C with 30 to 40 percent
relative humidity and kept for a minimum of
seven days were assessed for the condition of the
palatine rugae. The authors took photographs of
the palatine rugae by using a palatal mirror.
The study results showed that among the sub-
jects with third-degree panfacial burns, 93 per-
cent of the palatine rugae were normal. The
Copyright © 2008 American Dental Association. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission
CLINICAL PRACTICE CRITICAL REVIEW
authors observed no changes in the color or sur-
face anatomy of the palatine rugae in 77 percent
of the human cadavers. They concluded that the
palatine rugae could be used reliably as a refer-
ence landmark during forensic identification.
CONCLUSION
Located in the anterior half of the roof of the
mouth, the palatine rugae have much to offer the
dental profession. They serve as a reference land-
mark in various dental treatment modalities and
can be used in the identification of submucosal
clefts. In addition, clinicians can use the palatine
rugae to assess the amount of anteroposterior
tooth movement, because they remain stable
during a person’s life. Moreover, the results of
several studies show a significant association
between rugae forms and ethnicity. Finally, pala-
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tine rugae can be used as a reliable guide in
forensic identification. ■
Disclosure. The authors did not report any disclosures.
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