Satyanarayana Naik K.

MDS BDS BDS

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Hong Kong Dent J 2011;8:25-8

Ajay Prabhu Reshma Nargund

Forensic odontology: cheiloscopy

* Department of Prosthodontics, Maratha Mandal Dental College, Belgaum, Karnataka, India

ABSTRACT
Objective. To examine whether lip prints offer the potential for gender identification of an individual. Methods. A total of 40 students (20 females and 20 males) aged 20 to 30 years were included in this study. Lip impressions were made with the use of lipstick, bond paper, cellophane tape, and a magnifying lens. Tsuchihashis classification of lip prints was adopted for analysis. Results. Based on the above classification and the lip prints obtained, a total of 18 females and 17 males were correctly identified. Conclusion. Results of this study showed that lip prints are unique to an individual and offer the potential for recognition of an individuals gender. Key words: Forensic dentistry; Lip; Sex determination analysis

Introduction
The professional obligation of dental surgeons to mankind is not only to serve in examination, investigation, diagnosis and treatment of oral and orofacial lesions of local origin, and oral manifestations of systemic diseases, but also to serve in other community services and legal matters. Fingerprints, postmortem reports, and of late, DNA fingerprinting, have been successful in personal identification in the field of forensic science. Just as in these methods, lip prints can be instrumental in identifying a person positively and can be used to verify the presence or absence of a person at the scene of crime 1. The wrinkles and grooves on labial mucosa, called sulci labiorum, form a characteristic pattern namely lip prints, the study of which is referred to as cheiloscopy. Such a print is unique to an individual, just like the fingerprints 2. In 1902, R. Fischer described the system of furrows on the red part of human lips. The use of lip prints were first recommended as early as in 1932 by E. Locard, one of Frances greatest criminologists. In 1950, Synder 3 mentioned the possible use of lip prints in the identification of individuals in his Textbook of Homicide Investigation.
Correspondence to: Dr. Satyanarayana Naik K., Department of Prosthodontics, Maratha Mandal Dental College, Bauxite Road, Belgaum-590 010, Karnataka, India Tel : 08392-243499 email : drsatyaprostho@gmail.com

In May 1999, an Illinois Appellate Court accepted, in People vs. Davis, No. 2-97-0725, the uncontroverted testimony of two state police experts (a fingerprint examiner and a questioned document examiner) that: 1. Lip print identification is generally acceptable within the forensic science community as a means of positive identification because it appears in the literature 4.

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2.

3.

4.

Although seldom used, lip print identification is very similar to fingerprint comparison and that it is a known and accepted form of scientific comparison. There is no dissent in the forensic science community with regard to either the methodology used or the fact that lip prints provide a positive identification. The F. B. I. and the Illinois State Police consider that lip prints are unique, like fingerprints and are a positive means of identification 5.

(a)

The objective of the present study was to ascertain whether the configuration of lip prints offer the potential for identifying the gender of an individual.

(b)

Methods
The study was conducted in 2009 which comprised 40 students (20 males and 20 females) aged from 20 to 30 years, from Maratha Mandal Dental College, Belgaum, Karnataka, India. They were selected on the basis that they had no lesions on the lips. Persons with known hypersensitivity to lipsticks were excluded from this study. A dark-colored lipstick was applied with a single stroke, evenly on the vermilion border. The subjects were asked to rub both the lips to spread the applied lipstick (Figure 1). After about 2 minutes, a lip impression was made on a strip of cellophane tape on its glued portion, which was then stuck onto white bond paper. This served as a permanent record. The impression was subsequently visualized with the use of magnifying lens (Figure 2). The number of lines and furrows present, their length, branching, and combinations were noted. The lip prints obtained were coded, keeping an account the name and gender of the respective individuals. At the time of analysis the gender of the print was not disclosed. In this study, we followed the classification of patterns of the lines on the lips proposed by Tsuchihashi 6(1) clear-cut vertical grooves that run across the entire lips as Type I; grooves similar to Type I but do not cover the entire lip as Type I; branched grooves (branching Y-shaped pattern) as Type II; criss-cross pattern, reticular grooves as Type III; and undetermined grooves as Type IV (Figure 3). For classification, the middle part of the lower lip (about 10 mm wide) was taken as study area, as proposed

Figure 1 (a) Application of lipstick and (b) transfer of lip print on cellophane paper

Figure 2

Materials used for the study

by Sivapathasundharam et al 2. Since this fragment is almost always visible in any trace, the determination of the pattern depends on numerical superiority of the line properties on this area. Gender was determined as follows: (1) Types I and

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Forensic odontology: cheiloscopy

Type I

Reticular pattern

Intersected pattern

Vertical

Type I

Vertical pattern

Partial vertical pattern

Intersected

Type II

Branched pattern

Figure 3

Characteristic patterns of lip prints

Type III

Branched

I pattern dominance as female; (2) Types I and II pattern dominance as female; (3) presence of Type III pattern as male; and (4) Type IV showing varied patterns as male. The results obtained were verified from the coded data collected at the beginning of the study.

Reticular

Type IV

Results
Undetermined

No two lip prints matched with each other, thus establishing the uniqueness of the lip prints (Figure 4). Types I and I were most commonly seen in females, whereas Type IV was seen most commonly in males (Figure 5). Based on the above classification and the lip prints, a total of 18 females and 17 males were correctly identified.

Figure 4

Comparison of lip prints with those of subjects

Discussion
Lip prints are very useful in forensic investigation and personal identification. They are considered most important forms of transfer evidence, and are analogous to fingerprints 6. Lip prints are usually left at crime scenes, and can provide a direct link to the suspect. In recent years, lipsticks have been developed that do not leave any visible trace after contact with surfaces such as glass, clothing, cutlery, or cigarette butts 7. These lip prints are characterized by their permanence and are, therefore, referred to as persistent lip prints. Although invisible, these prints can be lifted using materials such as aluminium powder and magnetic powder.

Figure 5

Graphical representation of different lip prints

The use of lipsticks is not indispensable for leaving lip prints. The edges of the lips have sebaceous glands, with sweat glands in between. Thus, secretions of oil and

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moisture from them enable development of latent lip prints, analogous to latent fingerprints. Even though the lines and furrows are present in both upper and lower lips from one corner of the mouth to the other corner, only the middle portion in the lip is taken into account, since this portion is always visible in any traces 8,9. Research on lip prints has been conducted with the idea of proving that a gender difference does exist. According to a study by Vahanwahal et al. 9, Type I and Type I patterns were found to be dominant in females, while Types III and IV patterns were dominant in males. Another study by Vahanwahal and Parekh 10 showed that all four quadrants of the same type were predominantly encountered in females, whilst male subjects revealed the presence of different patterns in a single individual. In this study, we labeled a particular pattern on the

basis of numerical superiority of types of lines present, that is, vertical, intersected, branched, or reticular. If more than one pattern predominates it is classified as undetermined. In the present study, Type I and Type I patterns were found to be predominant in females, while the Type IV pattern was predominant in males. We also observed that no lip prints from different individuals matched.

Conclusion
If the gender of an individual is known, it is easier to shortlist the array of suspects for a particular crime. The present study was able to show that lip prints had the potential to identify gender. Although the results obtained in the present study do not prove the method to be infallible, it shows promise in being one more step to get to the truth. Lip prints thus have the potential of being a supplementary tool along with other techniques as a means of recognizing an individual gender.

References
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Utsuno H, Kanoh T, Tadokoro O, Inoue K. Preliminary study of post mortem identification using lip prints. Forensic Sci Int 2005;149:129-32. Sivapathasundharam B, Prakash PA, Sivakumar G. Lip prints (cheiloscopy). Indian J Dent Res 2001;12:234-7. Synder LM. Textbook of homicide investigation. Identification of dead bodies. Springfield: Charles A. Thomas; 1950. Castell A, Alvarez-Segu M, Verd F. Luminous lip-prints as criminal evidence. Forensic Sci Int 2005;155:185-7. Lip print identification anyone? Website: http://forensicevidence.com/site/ID/ID00004_10.html. Accessed Nov 10, 2008. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Tsuchihashi Y. Studies on personal identification by means of lip prints. Forensic Sci 1974;3:233-48. Alvarez Segui M, Miquel Feucht M, Castello Ponce A, Verdu Pascual F. Persistent lipsticks and their lip prints: new hidden evidence at the crime scene. Forensic Sci Int 2000;112:41-7. Ball J. The current status of lip prints and their use for identification. J Forensic Odontostomatol 2002;20:43-6. Vahanwahal S, Nayak CD, Pagare SS. Study of lip-prints as aid for sex determination. Medico-legal Update 2005;5:93-8. Vahanwahal SP, Parekh DK. Study of lip prints as an aid to forensic methodology. J Ind Dent Assoc 2000;71:269-71.

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