The palatal ruga pattern in possible paternity determination.

The use of a genetic marker in paternity determination has been successful with the ABO blood group system but unsuccessful in dermatoglyphics and palatal rugae because the genetic mechanism is polygenic. The palatal rugae of 17 families (34 parents and 49 children) were classified and recorded, and the data used to construct a statistical analysis system (SAS) cluster map. A positive result would have meant a father clustering with all his children at Level 83, where, in fact, the best result achieved was at Level 5. The best cluster occurred at Level 82 between the ten-year-old boy of Family 7 and the eleven-year-old girl of Family 3. It is thus clear that the palatal rugae cannot be used in a practical procedure to determine paternity.