The Phoenix rises -Cheiloscopy?

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Tim Peter World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

THE PHOENIX RISES – CHEILOSCOPY ?

*Dr. Tim Peter, Dr Laxmikanth Chatra, Dr Prashanth Shenai, Dr Veena K M,

Dr Prasanna Kumar Rao, Dr Rachana V Prabhu

Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Yenepoya Dental College, Yenepoya University, Mangalore, Karnataka,India. PIN-575018.

ABSTRACT

Cheiloscopy has always been fascinating and a precious stone that is

left unturned fully till date. This article gives an overview of the

history of cheiloscopy and analyses the different classification systems

for lip groove patterns which had been followed. It also describes the

advantages, few obstacles in the progress of cheiloscopy and its

possible bright use in future dentistry and in the field of forensic

science provided it is given its due value.

Key Words: Cheiloscopy, Phoenix.

INTRODUCTION

Cheiloscopy, (from the Greek words,‘cheilos’ means lips, ‘skopein’ means to see) is the

name given to the studies on lip prints.[1] The importance of cheiloscopy is linked to the fact

that lip prints are unique to one person, except in monozygotic twins.[2,3] Like fingerprints

and palatal rugae, lipgrooves are permanent and unchangeable.[3] It is possible to identify lip

patterns as early as the sixth week of in uterine life.[4] From that moment on, lip groove

patterns rarely change, resisting many afflictions, such as herpetic lesions. In fact, only those

pathologies that damage the lip subtract like burns, seem to rule out cheiloscopic study.[4]

Identification plays a very important role in any crime investigation. The introduction of

fingerprints in the beginning of the past century as the only reliable means of human

identification was due to the significant works of three distinguished persons – Sir William

World Journal of Pharmaceutical research

Volume 2, Issue 6, 2089-2098. Review Article ISSN 2277 – 7105

Article Received on 29 August 2013, Revised on 18 Sept. 2013,

Accepted on 04 October 2013

*Correspondence for Author: Dr. Tim Peter, Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Yenepoya Dental College, Yenepoya University, Mangalore, Karnataka, India. PIN-575018. [email protected]

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Herschel, Sir Francis Galton, and Sir Edward Henry. Fingerprint system was first used in

India in 1858 by Sir William Hersche. [5]

In individuals, the fingerprint patterns are distinctive and permanent, and hence considered as

the guide to identity. Many a time, the materials with which a criminal may come in contact

are unlikely to receive fingerprints of sufficient clarity to be useful as evidence. Awareness of

the modern techniques of crime detection has alerted the criminals for taking sufficient

precautions like the use of gloves. In such circumstances, the identification of criminals using

accurate methods like fingerprint analysis fails to establish a positive identity. The

investigators can rely on cheiloscopy as supportive evidence in specific investigations.

Thus, today identity can be established by a combination of methods which makes the

identification process relatively flawless. The pattern of wrinkles on the lips has individual

characteristics as fingerprints. Cheiloscopy (quiloscopy) can be defined as a method of

identification of a person based on characteristic arrangement of lines appearing on the red

part of lips or as a science dealing with lines appearing on the red part of lips. It is a forensic

investigation technique that deals with identification of humans based on lips traces.[6]

HISTORICAL REVIEW

The biological phenomenon of systems of furrows on the red part of human lips was first

noted by anthropologists. This biological feature was first described by R Fischer in

1902.[4]However; it was only in 1930 that Diou de Lille developed studies which led to lip

print use in criminology. In 1932, Edmond Locard, one of France’s greatest criminologists,

acknowledged the importance of cheiloscopy. Until 1950, anthropology merely mentioned

the existence of the furrows without suggesting a practical use for the phenomenon. The idea

of using lip prints for identification was first suggested by Le Moyne Snyder. [7] He

introduced a case in which lip prints helped the crime scientists in an unusual way. In 1950,

Le Moyne Snyder, in his book ‘‘Homicide Investigation’’, mentioned the possibility of using

lip prints in the matter of human identification.

Since 1950, the Japanese have carried out extensive research in the matter. Apart from

Santos’ classification, two Japanese scientists, YasuoTsuchihashi and Kazuo Suzuki, [8] had

been investigating forensic odontological relations of the female lips and lipstick. They said

that there was an individual specificity in the morphology of the lip grooves.

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Dr. Martins Santos in 1960 [6] proposed that these lip characteristics could be used in personal

identification and devised a simple system for classifying lip prints. It was in Hungary during

1961 that the first research in Europe was carried out in the subject of lip prints. The

examination started after lip traces had been found on a glass door at the scene of a murder.

At this time, the usefulness of the lip traces for criminalistic identification was proven.

In 1971, Kazuo Suzuki and YasuoTsuchihashi[7] carried out more investigations, which

included uniovular twins Theydivided the lips into four quadrants and devised their own

classification of six different types of grooves. They demonstrated that no two lip prints

manifested the same pattern, that lip prints of uniovular twins were extremely alike, and that

their characteristics may be inherited from either parent. This was further confirmed by

Tsuchihashi[9] in his longitudinal study which included 1364 persons and the family groups.

These results added the strength to the theory of the heredity of lip prints. He found that the

lip prints did not change over a period of time. It was observed in his study that no two

uniovular twins had exactly identical lip print patterns. He also found that following trauma

to a lip, it resumed its groove pattern after healing.

Renaud, in 1972, studied 4000 lip prints and confirmed the singularity of each one,

supporting the idea of lip print singularity. Two years later, Suzuki and Tsuchihashideveloped

another study which resulted in a new classification for lip prints. This study, made over a

long period of time, enabled the authors to confirm not only lip print singularity, but also lip

response to trauma; in fact, these authors observed that after healing, the lip pattern was equal

to that before the injury occurred.

Based upon the research by the two Japanese scientists mentioned above, it was established

that the arrangement of lines on the red part of human lips is individualistic and unique for

each human being. This statement led to the conclusion that there is the possibility of using

the arrangement of furrows (on a trace, in a linear form) on lips for the identification of a

person.

During the years 1985–1997, cheiloscopic techniques had been used in 85 cases, including 65

burglary cases, 15 cases of homicide, and 5 cases of assault. In 34 cases the identification was

positive, which means that cheiloscopic techniques were equal in value to other types of

forensic evidence. It has also been included in evidence for presentation in court. [6]

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It was during the period 2000–2010 that studies were carried out by several researchers in

India and other countries. [10-19] Different aspects of the lip prints like stability[10,11,18], sex

determination[15,16]and various morphological patterns[12,14,17,19]using lip prints among

different groups of population were studied. A study on postmortem changes of lip prints[20]

was also carried out to find out the changes in anthropometric measurements of the lip region

before and after fixation. All these studies were in agreement with the Japanese research and

thus helped in concluding that the cheiloscopic studies can be implemented as an auxiliary

method of identification.

ANATOMICAL ASPECTS

Lips are two, highly sensitive mobile folds, composed of skin, muscle, glands and mucous

membrane. They surround the oral orifice and form the anterior boundary of the oral cavity.

Anatomically, whether covered with skin or mucosa, the surface that forms the oral sphincter

is the lip area. There is an upper lip (from under the nose and extending laterally toward the

cheek from the nasolabial sulcus) and a lower lip (bound inferiorly by a prominent groove,

the labiomental sulcus); the two lips are joined at the corners of the mouth – the comissures–

and separated by the buccalfrenum.[4]

There are two different kinds of lip covering—skin or mucosa. When the two meet, a white

wavy line is formed – the labial cord – which is quite prominent in Negroes. Where

identification is concerned, the mucosal area holds the most interest. This area, also called

Klein’s zone, is covered with wrinkles and grooves that form a characteristic pattern—the lip

print.[21]

However, this is not the only area that deserves careful study. In fact, in cheiloscopy, one

should also analyse lip anatomy, considering their thickness and the position.

The lips can be horizontal, elevated or depressed.[22]

According to their thickness, it is possible to identify the following four groups:

(1) thin lips (common in the European Caucasian);

(2) medium lips (from 8 to 10 mm, are the most common type);

(3) thick or very thick lips (usually having an inversion of the lip cord and are usually seen in

negroes);

(4) mix lips (usually seen in Orientals).[22]

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LIP PRINT CLASSIFICATION

1) Suzuki and Tsuchihasi classification (Table 1)

2) Renaud Classification (Table 2)

3) AfcharBayat Classification (Table 3)

4) Individual features of line pattern on red part of lips (Table 4)

Table 1: Suzuki and Tsuchihashi classification

Type I: A clear-cut line or groove running vertically across the lip.

Type I ꞌ : Straight grooves that disappear half way into the lip instead of

covering the entire breadth of the lip or partial-length groove

of Type 1.

Type II : Grooves that fork in their course or a branched groove.

Type III : An intersected groove.

Type IV : A reticular groove.

Type V : Grooves that donot fall into any of the above categories and

cannot be differentiated morphologically.

Table 2: Renaud’s classification of lip prints:

Type a : Complete vertical

Type b : Incomplete vertical

Type c : Complete bifurcated

Type d : Incomplete bifurcated

Type e : Complete intersecting

Type f : Incomplete intersecting

Type g : Reticulated

Type h : In the form of sword

Type I : Horizontal

Type J : Other types

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Table 3: Afchar-Bayat lip prints classification:

A 1 : Vertical and straight grooves, covering the whole lip.

A 2 : Like the former, but not covering the whole lip.

B 1 : Straight branched grooves.

B 2 : Angulated branched grooves.

C : Converging grooves.

D : Reticular pattern grooves.

E : Other grooves.

Table 4: Individual features of line pattern on red part of lips:

Sl No Type of Features Graphic symbol

1 An Eye

2 A hook

3 A bridge

4 A line

5 A dot

6 A rectangle like

7 A triangle like

8 A group of dots

9 A simple top bifurcation

10 A simple bottom bifurcation

11 A double eye

12 Crossing lines

13 A closing bottom bifurcation

14 A delta-like opening

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15 A simple opening

16 A closing top bifurcation

17 A pentagonal arrangement

18 A branch like top bifurcation

19 A star like bifurcation

20 A fence

21 A branch like bottom bifurcation

22 A double fence

23 A hexagonal arrangement

PROBLEMS WITH CHEILOSCOPY

The lip print is produced by a substantially mobile portion of the lip. This fact alone explains

the reason why the same person can produce different lip prints, according to the pressure,

direction and method used in taking the print.[23] If lipstick is used, the amount can also affect

the print. This problem however, can be solved if recordings are made until all of the

substance is used.[23]

Manual register of the overlay is another problem, due to the possibility of some

subjectivity.[23] Another factor to be considered is the existence of some pathological

conditions (lymphangiomas, congenital lip fistula, lip scleroderma, Melkersson–Rosenthal

syndrome, syphilis, angular chelitis), which can invalidate the cheiloscopic study.

One must also consider the possibility of post-mortem changes of lip prints from cadavers

with various causes of death. Utsuno et al [4] have studied these changes and concluded that a

satisfactory identification rate was achieved. However, this study was carried out under a

laboratory environment and what happens to lip prints obtained from cadavers exposed to the

natural environment is still not known.

It should also be pointed out that only in very limited circumstances, is there ante mortem

data referring to lip prints, which obviously impairs a comparative study where

necroidentification is concerned. The main feature for dental identification is the existence of

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ante mortem data,[24-27] which cannot be expected in cheiloscopy in the present scenario.

Therefore, the only use of cheiloscopy will be to relate lip prints to the lips that produced

them.

TOWARDS FUTURE

Research suggests the conclusive evidence that lip prints are suitable for the successful

comparison, analysis and identification of a person to a crime. In fact there have been

convictions of perpetrators who were positively identified via the analysis of their known lip

prints to those found at the crime scene. There is a need to develop one cohesive cheiloscopy

system, practicable in forensic odontology.

Apart from identifying and evidential use, lip prints may also be used in detection work,

being the source of tactical and criminalistic information. A lip print at the scene of a crime

can be a basis for conclusions as to the character of the event, the number of the people

involved, sexes, cosmetics used, habits, occupational traits, and the pathological changes of

lips themselves.

It is difficult to place the lip prints in the general system of traces. The unique properties of

the lip print help in identifying a human being spatially when it is revealed as a stratified

surface trace with visible elements of lines. [6]

In the case where the lines are not clear, individual identification of a human being based on

this trace is extremely difficult unless the trace contains more individual characteristics, e.g.

scars, and often identification ends with group identification. In these cases, it is possible to

examine the substance which constitutes the trace, e.g. saliva, as a biological trace and to

determine the blood group in the ABO blood grouping system.[6,28] There is a huge potential

for Deoxy ribonucleic acid (DNA) typing from the lip print. This process has not yet been

attempted. When a lip print is found at the scene of a crime, the character of the event, the

number of the people involved, sexes, cosmetics used, habits, occupational traits, and the

pathological changes of lips can be concluded.

Research studies and information regarding the use of lip prints as evidence in personal

identification and criminal investigation in forensic dentistry are very much scanty, but exist

as a methodology in forensic dentistry .Studying in depth and establishing further facts and

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truth in lip prints will certainly help as useful evidence in forensic dentistry in its possible

bright future provided it is given its due value.

REFERENCES

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14. Saraswati TR, Mishra G, Ranganathan K. Study of lip prints. J Forensic Dent

Sci. 2009;1:28–31.

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The Phoenix rises -Cheiloscopy?

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