Hingad Nupur, Kumar Garish, Singh Kriti, Mahajan Aparna, Singh Mohit Pal, Gambhir Ramandeep Singh
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and Microbiology, Sri Sukhmani Dental College and Hospital, Derabassi, India.
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and Microbiology, MNDAV Dental College and Hospital, Solan, India.
Niger Med J. 2024 Nov 6;65(5):673-681. doi: 10.60787/nmj-v65i3.530. eCollection 2024 Sep-Oct.
Surface features present on the dorsal surface of the tongue along with colour and shape are unique characteristics of every individual. Tongue print is being considered as a new biometric and forensic authentication tool. This digital photographic study was conducted to analyze and compare morphological differences on the dorsal surface of the tongue which can serve as a valuable tool in forensic odontology.
The present study utilized a digital photographic method. Patients who visited the outpatient department (OPD) of the dental institution for availing necessary dental treatment were included in the study. The final study sample comprised 316 subjects which were recruited by systematic random sampling. The shape, surface texture, colour etc. of the tongue were recorded. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used for statistical analysis. Significance was set at p≤0.05.
The majority of the subjects (60.13%) had a 'U-shaped' tongue. 'Tongue fissures/cracks' and 'Smooth Tongue' were the two prominent surface textures present among 59.18% and 35.13% of the study subjects respectively. The shape and surface texture of the tongue were significantly associated with the gender of the study subjects. Non-visibility of median septum was found more among females than males. More than two-thirds of the subjects (77.51%) belonging to the age group of 18-30 years had pink-coloured tongues and the findings were highly significant (p=0.00).
In addition to rugoscopy and cheiloscopy, the study of lingual morphology may be one of the secure methods for identification in forensic dentistry.
舌背表面的特征连同颜色和形状都是每个人独特的特征。舌印正被视为一种新的生物识别和法医鉴定工具。本数码摄影研究旨在分析和比较舌背表面的形态差异，这可作为法医牙科学中有价值的工具。
本研究采用数码摄影方法。到牙科机构门诊部接受必要牙科治疗的患者被纳入研究。最终研究样本包括通过系统随机抽样招募的316名受试者。记录了舌头的形状、表面纹理、颜色等。描述性统计和卡方检验用于统计分析。显著性设定为p≤0.05。
大多数受试者（60.13%）有“U形”舌。“舌裂/裂纹”和“光滑舌”是分别在59.18%和35.13%的研究受试者中出现的两种突出表面纹理。舌头的形状和表面纹理与研究受试者的性别显著相关。女性中比男性更常发现中隔不可见。超过三分之二（77.51%）属于18至30岁年龄组的受试者舌头呈粉红色，且结果具有高度显著性（p = 0.00）。
除了皱纹检查和唇纹检查外，舌形态学研究可能是法医牙科学中一种可靠的识别方法。
