Use of palatine rugoscopy as biometric tool: a population study in Niteroi, RJ, Brazil

Introduction: Researches by auxiliary biometric methods for skills have grown in Forensic Dentistry.Objective:This study evaluated the effectiveness of palatal rugoscopy in human identification.Material and method: They were used 184 plaster models of students volunteers in Niterói, RJ, performing the design of their palatal rugae sorted by amount, direction (Carrea's pattern) and individual format (Silva's pattern) and compared to the demographic variables gender, skin color and age. Statistical analysis was performed using chi-square test for independent samples and considering p<0.05.Result: There was a higher prevalence of 2-7 rugae in men. Carrea's pattern IV and Silva's pattern 1 were evident, but no significant intergroup differences in accord to the proposed variables.Conclusion: The palatal rugoscopy is a practicable biometric tool and it provides relevant individual morphological information, although its blind and one-time analysis not displays accurancy in population stratification.