3D Evaluation of Palatal Rugae in Identical Twins

Abstract

The study of identical twins can point out potential limitations in biometrics and forensic odontology. This case report presents three-dimensional (3D) palatal rugae analysis in monozygotic twins utilizing digital models obtained directly by scanning the maxillary dental arch with the iTero® intraoral digital scanner. The results show that the rugae patterns contain related but not identical features between the pair of identical twins. Dental study models taken on a regular basis for diagnosis and treatment planning in dentistry include the palatal rugae, which could be valuable to forensics in identical twin identification cases.