ABSTRACT
Human identification is one of the most challenging tasks in Forensic identification. In mass disasters dental records, fingerprints and DNA comparisons are probably the most used techniques. However these techniques cannot be applied always. In some cases, it is necessary to apply different and less known techniques like Rugoscopy. The purpose of this study is to determine any gender difference in palatal rugae pattern. In this study100 subjects were randomly selected comprising 50 males and 50 females of age ranging from 17 to 25 years of student population belonging to Mangalore .The rugae pattern were assessed by applying Thomas & Kotze classification. Association between rugae forms and gender were tested using student unpaired T test. Gender wise, there were no significant differences in the total number of rugae. The incidence of curved ,straight and forwardly directed rugae were more among females than males, while that of wavy ,perpendicular and backwardly directed rugae were more among males. This study clearly demonstrates the gender difference and uniqueness of rugae pattern in different individuals. Thus it is a reliable source of identification.