Cheiloscopy: A Lip Print Study.

Introduction: Cheiloscopy is a study of pattern of lines on the red part of human lips, which are unique for each individual, just like the other identification methods e.g. finger print and teeth and bite mark etc. It can be very supportive in crime scene investigation when probability of retrieving other evidences is sparse. Apart from personnel identification, lip prints are also known to fix the gender of an individual. Aim: The aim of the present study was to document varieties of lip prints along with an objective of deciding its uniqueness in terms of identification of an individual. Material and method: This study was conducted on 200 medical students of Parul Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Parul University, Vadodara, Gujarat. In which 100 male and 100 female medical students were included. The lip prints were obtained by application of lipstick evenly on both lips, prints were obtained on thin bond paper and on plain glass slide. Lip prints obtained on plain glass were retrieved and matched with the first one by two examiner to identify each person on the basis of it. Result: Lip prints of 187 of 200 individual were correctly matched, thus identification of the person was successful in maximum students. Conclusion: The study revealed that the lip prints of the maximum experimental subjects matched with the individual. So it was concluded that lip prints behold the potential of fix the identity of a person. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]