Formas y características de las rugosidades palatinas como medio de identificación odontológica legal o forense.

Abstract

Palatine wrinkles do not change throughout life, just like fingerprints. The oral cavity is considered a tool that provides us with very useful data in the identification of the deceased, which is complicated to decipher their identity in cases of advanced decomposition, incineration or when they have been buried for a long time. The structures of the oral cavity begin to form at the twelfth week of gestation, being clearly the same throughout life, without changes in shape, only in growth by the stages of the human being. The process of decomposition of palatal wrinkles, according to the literature, begins approximately five days after death; on the other hand, they indicate that being protected by dental and bone structures, they have a level of resistance to destruction t hat leads to putrefaction and also to high temperatures, compared to other soft tissues. The dental record, in conjunction with rugoscopy and dactyloscopy, complete the main bases of personal identification. Therefore, we say that rugoscopy is an identification technique that individualizes recognition through the shape, size and position of the palatal wrinkles, which are unique to each person for the rest of life.