Correlation of dermatoglyphics and Class II skeletal malocclusion – Original research

Abstract

Dermatoglyphics is a study of the unique pattern in the skin of fingers, palms, soles, and toes. These dermatoglyphics has played an important role in various fields like forensic medicine, genetics, and anthropology.Sir Francis Galton stated that an individual’s dermal pattern remained constant throughout their lifetime. Many studies have suggested the possible relation between dermatoglyphics and occlusion.Studies have suggested that dermatoglyphics could be used as a tool to identify the underlying skeletal malocclusion. As the dermal pattern and oral structures develop together, the genetic information in the dermal pattern could be used to assess the different types of skeletal malocclusions. Hence, the study was aimed to compare and evaluate the correlation between dermatoglyphics and class II skeletal malocclusion in horizontal and vertical growth patterns. The total of 50 samples were taken and divided into horizontal and vertical growth pattern consisting of 25 samples each. The dermatoglyphic pattern between the right and left hand and the pattern such as arches, loops, and whorls were evaluated. The data was analyzed by Kolmogorov – Smirnov and Shapiro Wilk test. There was a statistically significant association between class 2 malocclusion and the dermatoglyphic pattern.