Extent of lip print pattern variation among people of Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India

Cheiloscopy is the forensic investigation technique that deals with identification of humans based on lip traces. Lip prints are the normal lines and furrows in the form of wrinkles and grooves present in the zone of transition of the human lip between the inner labial mucosa and outer skin, the study of which is known as Cheiloscopy. In the forensic investigation mouth has immense potential for the evidences. Lip prints and palatal rugae are unique to an individual. The present study is an attempt to determine the pattern of lip prints and evaluate its uniqueness in a sample of Chhattisgarh population and also their association with gender and age. In the present work, examination of the pattern of the print in the four quadrants of the lip revealed that no individual had a single type of lip print and no two or more persons had similar features of lip grooves. From the results of the present study it can be shown that lip print patterns in all 101 subjects were distinct and none of the patterns were identical. This finding was in concordance with results obtained in the studies conducted earlier. No significant association were observed which supports that lip print patterns keeps changing during an individual's lifetime and confirms the permanence of lip prints. Lip prints are also capable for individual identification in criminal investigation. In future, studies on samples from different geographical regions and ethnic races will help to determine the geographical origin and probable race of questioned lip prints. Thus, it can be said that lip prints do have potential for use as corroboratory evidence in criminal investigations.