Utility of dermatoglyphics as a non-invasive diagnostic tool inrecurrent aphthous stomatitis / Utilidade da dermatoglifia como ferramenta diagnóstica não invasivapara estomatite aftosa recorrente

RESUMO

Introduction: Dermatoglyphics is an advancing branch of medical science in which the dermal ridge patterns are studied and used in prediction of genetic disorders. Objective: To assess the usefulness of dermatoglyphics, as a non-invasive early predicator in RAS, since genetics plays a role in both. Materials and methods: This case control study comprised of 40 patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis compared to 30 control subjects of similar age and sex. All subjects were investigated for their dermatoglyphic patterns of both hands, which were obtained by smearing the ink uniformly over the palm and fingers and pressing the hands firmly against the good quality paper. Qualitative analysis of prints was done for arches, loops and whorls and quantitative analysis included Total Finger Ridge Count (TFRC) and atd angle. Fisher’s Exact Tests were used to evaluate the significance between recurrent aphthous stomatitis and the dermatoglyphic features. Results: Among various dermatoglyphic parameters analyzed, recurrent aphthous stomatitis patients showed 9% arches, 62% loops and 29% whorls as the finger ridge configuration. In comparing the results between the two groups, the frequency of arches was observed more in study group while composite whorl and the nar pattern were more frequent in control group, the results were statistically significant (p < 0.05). In addition to this, study group patients demonstrated higher frequency of total finger ridge count, and control group showed higher frequency for atd angle on both hands, statistically significant difference is observed (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The study found significant correlation between palmar dermatoglyphics and recurrent aphthous stomatitis, suggesting that genetics is one of the host risk factor associated with the latter, and could aid in early detection of the disease.