Background: Dental caries is a multifactorial disease with a genetic disposition.
Aim: To evaluate correlation among dermatoglyphic patterns, salivary pH, and dental caries.
Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 150 randomly selected volunteers between 15 and 30 years of age who visited dental clinics from November 2019 to December 2020. Caries status was evaluated as decayed, missing, filled teeth (DMFT) index, and salivary pH was measured. Patients with a DMFT score of 0-5 were into Group A, those with DMFT 5-10 into Group B, and those above 10 were classified into Group C. The dermatoglyphic patterns on the palmar digits of participants were recorded using the method by Cummins and Midlo.
Results: A higher salivary pH was observed in Group A and Group B when compared with Group C (P = 0.001), and this difference was statistically significant. Group A exhibited a statistically significant association with the arch form of fingerprint (58.1%), whereas Group B exhibited a statistically significant association with the loop form (51.9%). Group C exhibited a statistically significant association with the whorl pattern of fingerprint pattern (98.8%) (P = 0.001).
Conclusion: The loop pattern is associated with lesser incidence of caries, whereas whorl pattern is associated with higher incidence of caries. Dermatoglyphics is a noninvasive method that can be used to identify caries susceptibility and take appropriate prophylactic measures.
Keywords: Caries; dermatoglyphics; enamel; oral health; risk factors.