Prevalence of the cusp of carabelli among chennai population - An observational study

Abstract

Background: The Carabelli's trait has been used as a critical ethnic indicator for several decades.Analyzing the prevalence of this simply identified anatomical feature can find its application in anthropological identification of individuals from specific human populations and different gender.

Aim To assess the prevalence of the cusp of carabelli among the chennai population. Materials and methods The cross-sectional study  was carried out among the general public visiting as outpatients to a private dental college in chennai. Visual examination was done to evaluate the presence of a cusp of carabelli. The data collected was tabulated and analysed using IBM SPSS software (version 23). Association between the presence of Cusp of carabelli in different genders was assessed using Pearson’s chi-square test.

Result : Out of 100 study participants, 13% showed presence of  the cusp of carabelli whereas  87% did not even show the evidence of carabelli cusp either in the form of groove or pit or a well developed cusp. The cusp of carabelli was predominantly seen among male population(11%) compared to that of females (2 %), which was statistically significant ( chi square test,p-value is 0.013).

Conclusion The cusp of carabelli was determined to be prevalent in 13% of the chennai population. The carabelli trait was predominantly seen among males compared to females. Although a rare occurrence,  the cusp of carabelli contributes to the discriminatory identification of specific human population and gender.