Background: The palatal rugae contribute to oral swallowing, taste perception, and speech. From a forensic point of view, the distinctive morphology of these structures can be used to support human identification. However, the morphology of the rugae may be altered by trauma or therapeutic interventions in the palate.
Objective: This study aimed to analyze the morphology of the palatal rugae before and after orthodontic treatment performed with and without maxillary expansion and dental extractions.
Materials and methods: The sample consisted of 60 dental casts taken before (n = 30) and after (n = 30) orthodontic treatment from patients aged >18 years. The patients were treated with rapid maxillary expansion by using Haas appliance (n = 10), by extracting the maxillary first premolars (n = 10) and by using only conventional fixed orthodontic appliances (n = 10). All the dental casts were analyzed twice by two independent examiners that were blind for the type of treatment.
Results: All the differences between groups were statistically significant (P < 0.05). More alterations in the morphology of the palatal rugae were observed in patients treated with rapid maxillary expansion, whereas few alterations were performed in patients treated with no maxillary expansion or dental extractions.
Conclusion: The use of palatal rugae for forensic purposes must be avoided in patients that underwent invasive orthodontic treatments, such as those founded on maxillary expansion and dental extractions.
Keywords: Anatomy; forensic dentistry; human identification; orthodontics; palatal rugae.