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ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Study of lip prints

Saraswathi TR,
Gauri Mishra,
Ranganathan K

Department of Oral and

Maxillofacial Pathology,
Rama Dental College,
Hospital and Research
Centre, Lakhanpur, Kanpur,
U.P, India

Abstract
The external surface of lips has many elevations and depressions forming a characteristic
pattern called lip prints, examination of which is known as cheiloscopy. The lip prints
are unique and distinguishable for every individual like fingerprints. The use of lip
prints for human identification was first suggested in 1950 and researches were carried
out in 1960s and early 1970s, resuming in the last few years. The present study was

Address for correspondence:

Dr. Gauri Mishra
Department of Oral and
Maxillofacial Pathology,
Rama Dental College,
Hospital and Research Centre,
Lakhanpur, Kanpur, UP, India.
E-mail: gaurimishra12@gmail.
com
DOI: 10.4103/0974-2948.50885

aimed to study the lip prints of different individuals in different parts of the lip and find
out the incidence of any particular pattern in the given age group. Although lip prints
identification has been utilized in the court in isolated cases, more researches need to
be conducted in this field with regards to confirmation of uniqueness, and the collection
and interpretation of evidence.
Key words: Cheiloscopy, lip prints, sex determination

Introduction

ip prints are normal lines and ssures in the form of

wrinkles and grooves present in the zone of transition
of human lip, between the inner labial mucosa and outer
skin, examination of which is known as cheiloscopy. This
is unique for individuals, as nger prints. Research studies
and information regarding the use of lip prints as evidence
in personal identication and criminal investigation in
dentistry, although age old, are scanty. However, studying
in depth and establishing further facts and truth in lip prints
will certainly help as useful evidence in forensic dentistry.

Historical overview
Fischer in 1902 was the rst anthropologist to describe
the furrows on the red part of the human lips.[1] However,
it was only in 1932 that Edmond Locard, one of Frances
greatest criminologists, recommended the use of lip prints
in personal identication and criminalization.[2] In 1950,
Synder reported in his book Homicide Investigation that
the characteristics of the lips formed by lip grooves are as
individually distinctive as the ridge characteristics of nger
prints.[3] Suzuki, in 1967, made detailed investigations of
the measurement of the lips, the use and color of rouge,
and the method for its extraction to obtain useful data for
practical forensic application.[4] Later in 1970, Suzuki and
Tsuchihashi, conducted a study on 107 Japanese families
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and named the grooves on labiorum rurorum as sulci

labiorum and the lip prints consisting of these grooves as
Figura linearum labiorum rubrorum.[5] Mc Donell in 1972
conducted a study on lip prints between two identical
twins and reported that two identical twins seemed to be
indistinguishable by every other means but their lip prints
were dierent.[2]
Cottone, in 1981, reported in his book Outline of Forensic
Dentistry, that cheiloscopy is one of the special techniques
used for personal identification. [6] In 1990, Kasprzak
conducted a research for period of ve years on 1500 persons
to elaborate the practical use of cheiloscopy.[1] Recently,
Vahanwala in 2000 conducted a study of lip patterns to
promote the importance of cheiloscopy in forensic science
identication.[7]

Classication schemes
In 1967, Santos[8] was the rst person to classify lip grooves.
He divided them into four types namely:
1. Straight line
2. Curved line
3. Angled line
4. Sine-shaped curve
Suzuki and Tsuchihashi,[5] in 1970, devised a classication
method of lip prints, which is as follows:

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Saraswathi, et al.: Study of lip prints

1. Type I A clear-cut groove running vertically across the

lip.
2. Type II Partial-length groove of Type I.
3. Type III A branched groove.
4. Type IV An intersected groove.
5. Type V A reticular pattern.
6. Type VI Other patterns.

The cellophane strip was then stuck to the white chart

paper for permanent record purpose and then visualized
by magnifying lens. While studying the various types of
lip prints, each individuals lips were divided into four
compartments, i.e., two compartments on each lip, and were
allotted the digits 14 in a clock-wise sequence starting from
the subjects upper right.

The present study was aimed to study the lip prints of

dierent individuals in dierent parts of the lip and nd
out the incidence of any particular pattern in the given age
group in relation to specic gender.

Results

Materials and Methods

A total of 100 individuals were included in the study,

comprising of 50 males and females each, in the age group of
1830 years. In overall study, no individual had single type
of lip print in all the four compartments and no two or more
individuals had similar type of lip print pattern [Figure 2].

Study sample
A sample of 100 individuals comprising 50 males and 50
females were included in the study. All individuals were
aged between 18 and 30 years. Lips free from any pathology,
having absolutely normal transition zone between the
mucosa and skin were included in the study. Consent of all
the individuals was obtained for the study.

When the overall pattern was evaluated among all the

lip compartments of the study subjects, it was found that
intersecting pattern was most common, both among males
and females having 39.5 and 36.5%, respectively. However,
the least common was the reticular pattern seen in 11.0%
males and 13.0% females [Table 1].

Study materials

The lips of the individuals were cleaned and the browncolored lipstick was applied on the lips. Over the lipstick,
the glued portion of cellophane tape strip was placed and
the subject was asked to make a lip impression in the normal
rest position of the lips by dabbing it in the center rst and
then pressing it uniformly toward the corners of the lips.

The intersecting pattern was found to be most common

among upper and lower lips of both males and females.
The analysis of lip print type in each compartment was
done. Among males, it was found that intersected pattern
was most common in compartments 14 having 34, 32, 50,
and 42%, respectively, while the least common pattern in lip
compartments 1, 2, and 4 was the reticular pattern having
6, 10, and 12%, respectively. However, in compartment 3,
males showed branched pattern as the least common (4%).
On evaluation of the lip prints of the females, compartments
1, 2, and 3 exhibited intersected pattern predominantly
having 38, 48, and 38%, respectively. However, in
compartment 4, branched pattern was commonest (24%).
Lip compartments 1, 3, and 4 of the females showed the
reticular pattern as the least common having 8, 10, and 20%,
respectively, while compartment 2 had vertical lip prints

Figure 1: Various lip print patterns

Figure 2: Lip print patterns demonstrating inter-individual variation

In order to classify the lip prints in this study, the

classication scheme proposed by Suzuki and Tsuchihashi[5]
was used [Figure 1]. Materials used were:
1. Brown and red colored lipstick
2. Cellophane tape
3. White chart paper
4. Magnifying lens

Technique

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Saraswathi, et al.: Study of lip prints

Table 1: Lip print patterns in males and females

Lip print pattern (%)
Vertical
Branched
Intersected
Reticular
Undetermined
Poor quality

Males (N=50x4)

Females (N=50x4)

25 (12.5)
28 (14.0)
79 (39.5)
22 (11.0)
11 (5.5)
35 (17.5)

37 (18.5)
45 (22.5)
73 (36.5)
26 (13.0)
13 (6.5)
6 (3.0)

least in number (10%) [Table 2].

Few impressions which were of poor quality were not
included in the study. Ten point two ve percent of all the
lip prints obtained in the study were spoiled, the maximum
being in the rst and the second lip compartments of the
males (5.75%) [Table 2].

Table 2: Lip print patterns in each lip compartment of males

and females
Lip
compartment

Lip print
pattern(%)

Males
(N=50x4)

Females
(N=50x4)

Vertical
Branched
Intersected
Reticular
Undetermined
Poor quality
Vertical
Branched
Intersected
Reticular
Undetermined
Poor quality
Vertical
Branched
Intersected
Reticular
Undetermined
Poor quality
Vertical
Branched
Intersected
Reticular
Undetermined
Poor quality

7 (14.0)
8 (16.0)
17 (34.0)
3 (6.0)
2 (4.0)
13 (26.0)
7 (14.0)
10 (20.0)
16 (32.0)
5 (10.0)
2 (4.0)
10 (20.0)
3 (6.0)
2 (4.0)
25 (50.0)
8 (16.0)
3 (6.0)
9 (18.0)
8 (16.0)
8 (16.0)
21 (42.0)
6 (12.0)
4 (8.0)
3 (6.0)

11 (22.0)
10 (20.0)
19 (38.0)
4 (8.0)
3 (6.0)
3 (6.0)
5 (10.0)
11 (22.0)
24 (48.0)
7 (14.0)
1 (2.0)
2 (4.0)
10 (20.0)
12 (24.0)
19 (38.0)
5 (10.0)
4 (8.0)
0
11 (22.0)
12 (24.0)
11 (22.0)
10 (20.0)
5 (10.0)
1 (2.0)

Discussion
Personal identication is necessary for unknown deceased
person in homicide, suicide, accident, mass disaster, etc.
and for living individual who are missing or culprits
hiding their identity. Usually the personal identication is
made by comparing the antimortem record with that of the
postmortem record. If a denite description of the dierent
parts of the upper lip and lower lip are established for an
individual by detailed study, this antimortem record can be
used for matching the details of lip prints in postmortem
records for personal identication.
Research studies and information regarding the use of lip
prints as evidence in personal identication and criminal
investigation in forensic dentistry is very much scanty. In
spite of few studies available, the study of Tsuchihashi gives
a standard classication of his own for dierent types of lip
prints.[5] Keeping this classication as the basis, the current
study was conducted to study the lip prints of dierent
individuals in dierent parts of the lips, to establish facts
so as to aid in giving further details of lip prints.
Suzuki et al., conducted a study and concluded that lip
prints are dissimilar among dierent individuals.[9] This is
in accordance with the results of present study. In our study,
it was found that both among males and females the most
common lip print pattern was the intersected type while
the least common was the reticular pattern. These ndings
coincide with those by Sivapathasundaram et al.[10]
The analysis of lip print among dierent compartments of
the males led to the observation that intersected pattern
was predominant in all the four compartments, while in
compartments 1, 2, and 4 reticular pattern was the least.
Compartment 3 of males showed branched pattern the
minimum. Similarly, the most common pattern among the
females in compartments 1, 2, and 3 was the intersected and
in 4 was the branched pattern. However, females exhibited
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the reticular pattern to be least in compartments 1, 3, and

4, while compartment 2 had vertical lip prints least in
number. These results of our study do not coincide with
that by Vahanwala and Parekh who showed the Y -pattern
dominant in females in third and fourth quadrants and endto-end pattern common among males in second quadrant.[7]
One common problem that is encountered during the
cheiloscopic studies is that of smudging or spoiling of lip
prints leading to unidentiable marks.[10] In our study,
10.25% of all the lip prints were spoiled, the maximum
being in the rst and second compartments of the males
(5.75%). The reason for this can be attributed to the presence
of prominent facial hair among men.
To state the importance of cheiloscopy in forensic science
identication, Ball stated that latent lip prints would be
available at all crime scenes as the vermilion borders of lips
have minor salivary glands and sebaceous glands with latter
being principally present around edges of the lip associated
with hair follicles, sweat glands in between, and secreting
oils. It is these secretions and continual moisturizing by the
tongue due to occasional sebaceous glands present on the
lip, there are chances for the presence of the latent lip prints
on items such as glass.[11] These lip prints can be obtained
up to 30 days after being produced.[12]

Practical Applications
Suzuki and Tsuchihashi reported two cases where lip prints

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Saraswathi, et al.: Study of lip prints

have proven useful in identication of the criminal. In rst

case while the lip prints were identied on an envelope
and with those of the suspects, the second case lip prints
were noted on the undergarments and were studied with
the help of color test and ultraviolet rays.[13] In 1987, FBI
had successfully identied a male bank robber who used
female disguises including lipstick. The FBI submitted
the photographs and lifts of the lip prints that robber had
left on the glass door while robbing a bank, which were
identied to match with that of suspected robber. These
cases suggest that lip print study can denitely be used for
criminal identication.[14]
In an investigation, Aggarwal has proved beyond doubt that
lip prints are as good as nger prints in criminal identication
and can be denitely used when no other means of traditional
methods of identication are available.[2] However, as far as
the legal matters in Indian judicial system are concerned,
this technique needs to be used more frequently in routine
civil and criminal litigations.

References
1.

Kasprazak J. Possibilities of cheiloscopy. Forensic Sci Int

1990;46:145-51.

2.

Aggarwal A. The importance of lip prints (Forensic Files). Available

from: http://lifeloom.com//II2Aggarwal.htm. 24th Oct 2008.

3.

Synder LM. Textbook of Homocide investigation. Identication of

dead bodies. 1950. p. 65.

4.

Suzuki K, Suzuki H, Tsuchihashi Y. On the female lips and rouge.

Jpn J Leg Med 1967;67:471.

5.

Suzuki K, Tsuchihashi Y. A new attempt of personal identication

by means of lip print. J Indian Dent Assoc 1970;42:8-9.

6.

Cottone JA, Standish SM. Textbook of outline of forensic dentistry.

Special Tech (Cheiloscopy) 1981. p. 135.

7.

Vahanwahal SP, Parekh DK. Study of lip prints as an aid to forensic

methodology. J Indian Dent Assoc 2000;71:269-71.

8.

Santos M. Queiloscopy: A supplementary stomatological means of

identication. International Microform J. Legal Medicine 1967. p. 2.

9.

Suzuki K, Tsuchihashi Y. Personal identication by means of lip

print. J Forensic Med 1970;17:52-7.

10. Sivapathasundharam B, Prakash PA, Sivakumar G. Lip prints

(Cheiloscopy). Indian J Dent Res 2001;12:234-7.
11. Ball J. The current status of lip prints and their use for identication.
J Forensic Odontostomatol 2002;20:43-6.
12. Segui MA, Feucht MM, Ponce AC, Pascual FA. Persistent lipsticks
and their lip prints: A new hidden evidence at the crime scene.
Forensic Sci Int 2000;112:41-7.
13. Suzuki K, Tsuchihashi Y. Two criminal cases of lip print. ACTA
Criminol Jpn 1975;41:61-4.
14. William TR. Lip prints: Another means of identication. J Forensic
Dent 1991;41:190-4.

Source of Support: Nil, Conict of Interest: None declared

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