Dermatoglyphics And Malocclusion – Are they related ?

Background: Dermatoglyphic patterns, share their development time during the intrauterine period, with the development and completion of dental hard tissues. Being related by origin, the association has also been thought to be present in factors affecting and influencing dental structures, to have an effect on the dermal ridges. Malocclusion, a dental disorder, with its genetic etiology being proven, thus gains attention in this field. Thus the aim of the study was to determine the relation between dermatoglyphics and malocclusion. Materials and Methods: One hundred and twenty, 9-12 year old, healthy children, with mixed dentition, were included in the study. Their left and right handprints were recorded on a paper, and the finger prints were studied to find the frequency of occurrence of different types of patterns. Based on Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI), malocclusion was graded into four groups and was then correlated with the patterns’ frequency. Ridge density count as calculated on the proximal hypothenar area, was also correlated with malocclusion. Results and Conclusion: Loops were found to increase and while the whorls decreased, with increasing severity of malocclusion. The relation between ridge density count and malocclusion was not statistically significant.