PALATAL RUGAE AND THUMB PRINTS – “A BEHAVIOR ASSESSMENT TOOL?”

The study aimed to correlate the thumbprints and palatal rugae patterns with the behavior of the children. 120 children ranging from 5 to 12 years of age were included in the study. Behavior patterns, palatal rugae, and thumbprints of the participants were recorded during their first dental visit. Thumbprints and palatal rugae were recorded using Cummins classification and Thomaz & Kotze classification respectively. The Frankl-Behaviour Rating scale was used to examine children's behaviour. The data was tabulated and evaluated statistically using the chi-square test. It was observed that children with loop patterns of the thumbprints and wavy rugae patterns exhibited positive and definitely positive Frankl behavior. Statistically significant association was observed between thumbprints, palatal rugae patterns and children's behavior (p = 0.012; p = 0.033). Hence, both thumbprints and palatal rugae patterns could be utilized as a behavior marker during the first dental visit, which help clinicians provide superior treatment and improve their behaviour.