Role of Tongue prints in determination of sexual dimorphism

Abstract

Background: Human identification is of utmost significance in mass disaster, in court of law or to establish identity. Forensic odontology is gaining importance in forensic identification as oral cavity is unique. Moreover the tongue prints which are unique to individual can also be used for identification. As it has been observed that tongue has unique morphological features. Aim: To identify the predominant tongue print patterns in males and females with respect to shape of the tongue, Tip of the tongue, Grooves on the dorsal surface of the tongue and the number and diameter of circumvallate papillae. Materials and methods: 52 Individuals (26 males and 26 females) formed the sample for the study. Alginate impressions ware taken further casts were made using the impression and casts were observed for shape of the tongue, Tip of the tongue, Grooves on the dorsal surface of the tongue and the number and diameter of circumvallate papillae for males and females. Results: The most common tongue shape in male was rectangular however, in females the most common tongue shape was circular, and the most common tongue tip in males was U-shaped tongue tip and V-shaped in females. Grooves were deep in males and shallow in females. Males have more circumvallate papillae than females, and the diameter of tongue was larger in males than females. Conclusion: Based on the observations of present study the tongue morphology can be used as a potential tool for determining sexual dimorphism. However, more studies with larger sample size should be conducted for validation.