Qualitative analysis of dermatoglyphics in oral submucous fibrosis

Aim: The study was conducted to analyze the significance of dermatoglyphics in predicting the development of oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) among gutkha chewers. Objective: To evaluate the finger tip patterns in OSMF patients. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 75 subjects selected randomly from the OPD of Oral medicine and Radiology, out of which 25 subjects were gutkha chewers with OSMF, 25 were gutkha chewers without OSMF, and 25 were healthy subjects who were used as controls. The fingertip patterns were recorded using duplicating ink on A3 size paper and analyzed for their configurations using a magnifying lens. Results: Statistical analysis showed significant increase in the percentage of loops among gutkha chewers with OSMF and controls, and significant increase in the whorl patterns among the control group. The distribution of finger tip patterns of all the digits showed statistically significant increase in whorl pattern in right index (RI) and right ring (RR) finger. Conclusion: The present study showed a significant increase in the loop pattern among gutkha chewers with OSMF in comparison to controls. Thus, it can be concluded that people with more number of loop patterns are more prone to develop OSMF as compared to those with other patterns. Hence, dermatoglyphics can be used in this modern era to forecast the future of gutkha chewers, without much intervention.