Palatal Morphology: A Systematic Review of the Association of Palatal Shape with Genetic Ancestry, Sex and Age
Files
(Published version)
Date
2025
Authors
Chiam, T.L.
Perkins, H.
Hughes, T.
Palmer, L.
Higgins, D.
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Journal article
Citation
Archives of Oral Biology, 2025; 175:106275-1-106275-22
Statement of Responsibility
Thao Liang Chiam, Harry Perkins, Toby Hughes, Lyle Palmer, Denice Higgins
Conference Name
Abstract
Objectives: This study aims to review the literature regarding palatal shape variation, and its influence on estimating genetic ancestry, sex, and age. Design: A literature search was performed using PubMed, Scopus and Embase databases, from inception up to January 2025. Original research articles in English examining variation in shape of human hard palate were included, irrespective of study type or publication year. Articles regarding craniofacial anomalies, pathologies and orthodontic treatment were excluded. The risk of bias was assessed independently by two reviewers using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tool. Results: Twenty-two studies fulfilled the selection criteria. Dental casts (n = 13) and crania (n = 8) were predominantly utilised in the studies. Geometric morphometrics emerged as the predominant method for palatal shape analysis, followed by fourth-order polynomial curve fitting, visual assessments and ratios. Five studies examined ancestral variation in palatal shape, with four reporting differences between population groups. These studies, however, utilised fixed landmarks only, offering limited insight. Sexual dimorphism of palatal shape was extensively investigated (n = 12), with large numbers of semi-landmarks employed in two studies, but association was reported in four studies only. Palatal shape was reported to change from birth to adulthood but remained unchanged after adulthood. Conclusion: This review highlights that palatal shape may aid ancestry classification but remains inconsistent to classify sex. Palatal shape changes during growth are allometric and hence need to be considered in forensic investigations. More standardised and robust methods may better evaluate the effects of ancestry, sex and age on 3D palatal variation.
School/Discipline
Dissertation Note
Provenance
Description
Access Status
Rights
© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).