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Original Research
A comparison of lip prints between Aryans–Dravidians
and Mongols
Prathibha Prasad, Vanishree1
Department of Oral and
Maxillofacial Pathology,
College of Dentistry, Gulf
Medical University, Ajman,
UAE. 1Department of Oral
and Maxillofacial Pathology,
Navodaya Dental College,
Raichur, Karnataka, India.
ABSTRACT
Received
: 28‑04‑10
Review completed : 24‑08‑10
Accepted
: 27‑07‑11
Context: Lip prints are very useful in forensic investigation and personal identification. Like
finger prints, even lip prints can be instrumental in identifying a person positively.
Aims: Indians are closer to Mongoloids than to Caucasoids or Negroids as indicated by the
phylogenetic tree. Most of the studies on lip prints are done in their own population. We have
compared lip prints of Manipuris with other Indians (Aryans and Dravidians) who are both
close to Mongoloid race and are genetically similar.
Materials and Methods: A total of 100 students 50 males and 50 females were selected of
whom 30 males and 30 females were of Aryan and Dravidian features and 20 males and
20 females showed the Mongol features. Study materials used were Red colored lipstick, Lip
brush, Cellophane tape, White chart paper and Magnifying lens. The lip prints were analyzed
by dividing them into eight compartments.
Results: Analysis of lip prints showed that the most common and the least common pattern in
both males and females (Aryans–Dravidians and Mongols) were the same, but the compartment
wise distribution of the lip patterns was different.
Conclusion: In the present study, it is established that there is no similarity of lip prints from
one individual to another individual and between males and females. Regarding the comparison
with Mongols, more studies with a larger sample size is necessary.
Key words: Aryans, cheiloscopy, Dravidians, lip prints, Mongols
The wrinkles and grooves present on the surface of the lip
are anatomically designated as “Figura linearum labiorum
rubrorum”.[1] The imprint produced by these grooves is
termed “lip print”. The study of lip prints is referred to as
“cheiloscopy” which can be used to identify individuals
in criminology where they might have left lip print at the
crime scene.[2] Experts can lift lip prints from objects found
at crime scenes and compare these prints to a suspect’s
lip pattern. Lip prints can also support dental record
comparisons in homicide cases where victims do not have
teeth or readily available dental records. Indians are closer
to Mongoloids than to Caucasoids or Negroids as indicated
Address for correspondence:
Dr. Prathibha Prasad
E‑mail: [email protected]
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DOI:
10.4103/0970-9290.93453
Indian Journal of Dental Research, 22(5), 2011
by the phylogenetic tree.[3] We studied lip prints in subjects
showing Aryan and Dravidian features and subjects with
Mongol features. We tried to see if there are any differences
or similarities in the incidence of any particular pattern of
lip print.
Brief history
Locard[4] was one of the France’s greatest criminologist
who first recommended the use of lip prints in personal
identification and criminalization.
Dr. Santos[5] advocated the division of wrinkles and grooves
on the lip into simple and compound types. They were
subdivided into eight types for personal identification. He
then devised his own classification of lip grooves, namely:
• Straight line
• Curved line
• An angled line and
• A sine shaped curve
Suzuki and Tsuchihashi[1,6,7] did an extensive study and
concluded that lip prints are dissimilar among different
individuals, no similarity exists between the twins and
that there is no hereditary pattern of lip prints. It was them
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A comparison of lip prints between Aryans–Dravidians and Mongols
Figure 1: Mongol boy
Prasad and Vanishree
Figure 2: Mongol girl
Figure 3: Materials
Figure 4: Taking lip print on a cellophane tape
•
•
•
•
Figure 5: Cellophane tape with the lip print stuck on white chart paper
for permanent record
who designated a name to the grooves present on the lips
as “Figura linearum labiorum rubrorum”.
They have also recorded the use of lip prints in criminal
investigations.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study sample comprised 100 students (50 males and
50 females) of Navodaya Education Trust, Raichur, aged
between 17 and 21 years, out of whom 30 males and
30 females were of Aryan and Dravidian features and 20 males
and 20 females showed the Mongol features [Figures 1 and 2].
Study materials
•
665
Red colored lipstick
Lip brush
Cellophane tape
White chart paper
Magnifying lens (as shown in Figure 3)
Recording method
Care was taken to select individuals having no lesions on
the lips. Individuals with known hypersensitivity to lipsticks
were not included in the study. A dark red colored lipstick
was applied with a lip brush, evenly on both the lips. A lip
impression was made on a strip of cellophane tape on the
glued portion [Figure 4], which was then stuck to a white
chart paper. This served as a permanent record [Figure 5].
The impression was subsequently visualized with the help
of a magnifying lens.
In this study, we followed the classification of patterns of
the lines on the lips proposed by Suzuki and Tsuchihashi:[1,8]
• Type I: Clear‑cut vertical grooves that run across the
lips.
• Type II: Partial length groove of type I.
• Type III: Branched grooves (branching Y ‑shaped pattern).
• Type IV: Intersected grooves (criss‑cross pattern).
• Type V: Reticular pattern.
Indian Journal of Dental Research, 22(5), 2011
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A comparison of lip prints between Aryans–Dravidians and Mongols
•
Type VI: Grooves that do not fall into any of the above
categories and cannot be differentiated morphologically/
undetermined.
The recording was done by noting the combinations of
groove types found in each print. Because most lips contain
more than one type of pattern, the lips were divided into
eight compartments. A horizontal line divided the upper
lip from the lower lip, and the upper and lower lips were
divided through the center by an imaginary vertical line,
thus producing left and right upper and lower quadrants.
Each quadrant was then further divided into equal halves
and numbered as shown below.
1
2
3
4
8
7
6
5
Each compartment is studied and the combination of groove
patterns for each compartment was recorded.
RESULTS
A total of 100 individuals were included in the study
of whom 50 were males and 50 were females in the age
group of 17‑21 years. Among these 50 males and females,
30 belonged to Aryans‑Dravidians and 20 belonged to
Mongols. When all the patterns were evaluated, it was
found that no two individuals had similar type of lip print
pattern. It was found that intersecting pattern was the most
common among Aryan–Dravidian and Mongol males and
females. The least common was the reticular pattern in both
Aryan–Dravidian and Mongol males. The least common
pattern in both Aryan–Dravidian and Mongol females was
the partial length groove.
The intersecting pattern in Aryan–Dravidian males was
found to be the most common in compartments 2, 3, 4, 6,
and 7 having 33.3%, 33.3%, 30%, 36.6 and 40%, respectively.
Intersecting pattern was also common in Mongol males in
the compartments 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 having 45%, 25%, 70%,
40%, 54%, and 60%, respectively. In all the compartments
of the lower lip in Mongol males, the intersecting pattern
was the most common. The least common pattern in
Aryan‑Dravidian males was reticular pattern found in
compartments 1, 2, 4, 5, and 8 having 2.4%, 10%, 5.2%, 8.2%
and 4%, respectively. The least common pattern in Mongol
males was also reticular pattern found in compartments 1,
2, 4, and 8 which had 2%, 6%, 6%, and 0%, respectively.
Analysis of lip prints among females showed that intersected
pattern was the most common in both Aryans–Dravidians
and Mongols. But the least common was partial length
groove. The intersecting pattern in females (Aryans–
Dravidians) was found to be the most common in 1, 2, 3, 4,
5, and 8 having 39%, 64.5%, 41.8%, 39%, 45%, and 51.5%,
Indian Journal of Dental Research, 22(5), 2011
Prasad and Vanishree
respectively. Intersecting pattern was also common in
Mongol females in the compartments 1, 2, 7, and 8 having
36.4%, 31.2%, 46.8%, and 57.2%, respectively. The least
common pattern in Aryan–Dravidian females was partial
length groove found in compartments 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8 having
9.6%, 3.2%, 4.2%, 3.2%, and 4.2%, respectively. The least
common pattern in Mongol females was also partial length
groove found in compartments 1, 5, 6, 7, and 8 having
5.2%, 5.2%, 10.4%, 5.2%, and 0%, respectively. In all the
compartments of the lower lip in both the female groups,
the partial length groove was the least common.
The analysis of lip print in each compartment in case of
Aryan–Dravidian females showed that type IV was the
most common in compartments 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8, whereas
type V was the common pattern in compartments 6 and 7,
as shown in Table 1. The analysis of lip print in each
compartment in case of Aryan–Dravidian males showed
that type IV was the most common in compartments 2, 3,
4, 6, and 7, whereas type III was the common pattern in
compartments 1, 5, and 8 as shown in Table 2. The least
common pattern in Aryan–Dravidian females was type II
in compartments 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8, but type I was the least
common in compartments 2 and 4 and type V was the least
common pattern in compartment 1, as shown in Table 3.
The least common pattern in Aryan–Dravidian males was
type V in compartments 1, 2, 4, 5, and 8, whereas type II
was the least common in compartments 3, 6, and 7, as shown
in Table 4.
Type IV was the most common pattern in Mongol females in
compartments 1, 2, 7, and 8, whereas type V was common in
compartment 3 and type I was the most common pattern in
Table 1: Most common pattern in Aryan–Dravidian females
1
Type 4
Type 4
8
2
Type 4
Type 5
7
3
Type 4
Type 5
6
4
Type 4
Type 4
5
Table 2: Most common pattern in Aryan–Dravidian males
1
Type 3
Type 3
8
2
Type 4
Type 4
7
3
Type 4
Type 4
6
4
Type 4
Type 3
5
Table 3: Least common pattern in Aryan–Dravidian females
1
Type 5
Type 2
8
2
Type 1
Type 2
7
3
Type 2
Type 2
6
4
Type 1
Type 2
5
Table 4: Least common pattern in Aryan–Dravidian males
1
Type 5
Type 5
8
2
Type 5
Type 2
7
3
Type 2
Type 2
6
4
Type 5
Type 5
5
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A comparison of lip prints between Aryans–Dravidians and Mongols
compartment 6, as shown in Table 5. Type IV was the most
common pattern in Mongol males in compartments 2, 3, 5, 6,
7, and 8, whereas type III was the most common pattern in
compartments 1 and 4 as shown in Table 6. The least common
pattern in Mongol females was type II in compartments 5,
6, 7, and 8, whereas type I was the least common in
compartments 2 and 3 and type V in compartments 1 and 4,
as shown in Table 7. The least common pattern in Mongol
males was type V in compartments 1, 2, 4, and 8, whereas
type III was the least common in compartments 6 and 7 and
type II in compartment 5 and type I in compartment 3, as
shown in Table 8.
Sixteen percent of all the lip prints studied which were of
poor quality were repeated.
DISCUSSION
Lip prints are very useful in forensic investigation and
personal identification. Like finger prints, even lip prints can
be instrumental in identifying a person positively. Indians
are closer to Mongoloids than to Caucasoids or Negroids as
indicated by the phylogenetic tree.[1] Most of the studies on
lip prints are done in their own population. In this study,
we tried to compare other Indians with Manipuri who are
genetically very similar and are both close to Mongoloid race.
Overall no one had single type of lip prints in all the
compartments and no two individuals or more than two
individuals had similar type of lip prints. The results
showed that the most common pattern in males and
females of both the groups (Aryan–Dravidian, Mongols)
Table 5: Most common pattern in Mongol females
1
Type 4
Type 4
8
2
Type 4
Type 4
7
3
Type 5
Type 1
6
4
Type 3
Type 5
5
Table 6: Most common pattern in Mongol males
1
Type 3
Type 4
8
2
Type 4
Type 4
7
3
Type 4
Type 4
6
4
Type 3
Type 4
5
Table 7: Least common pattern in Mongol females
1
Type 5
Type 2
8
2
Type 1
Type 2
7
3
Type 1
Type 2
6
4
Type 5
Type 2
5
Table 8: Least common pattern in Mongol males
1
Type 5
Type 5
8
667
2
Type 5
Type 3
7
3
Type 1
Type 3
6
4
Type 5
Type 2
5
Prasad and Vanishree
was intersecting pattern. The least common pattern in
both groups of males was reticular. These results coincide
with the study done by Dr. Saraswathi,[5] whereas the
least common pattern in both female groups was partial
length groove which did not coincide with the results of
the above study.
When we compared the lip prints of [Aryan–Dravidian] and
Mongol females, the most common (type IV) and the least
common (type II) types were the same. The lip prints among
Aryan–Dravidian and Mongol males showed that the most
common (type IV) and the least common (type V) types were
the same. The difference lies in the least common pattern
among males and females of both the groups. The female
group showed type II as the least common, and type V was
the least common among male study groups. But when a
compartment wise analysis was done, they showed a varied
pattern as depicted in the tables.
For successful prints, the lines on the lips need to be
recognizable, not smudged, neither too light nor too dark
and the entire upper and lower lip must be visible. Some of
the prints which were smudged belonged to both boys and
girls who had applied too thick a layer of lipstick. When
the recording was repeated using a thinner or appropriate
layer of lipstick, the prints were found to be of pretty good
quality, therefore giving an impression that the amount of
lipstick on the lip and the amount of pressure applied while
taking the print on the cellophane strip might influence the
quality of the lip print.
The prints at the corner of the lip were not very clear even
in the prints of very good quality which justifies the finding
of Sivapathasundharam’s study that it is usually the center
strip of the lip which can be recorded better.[9]
CONCLUSION
Findings from lip print studies make a strong case for their
use in solving crimes. Although not useful for identification
under conditions where only skeletal structures remain,
intact lips provide prints that can provide valuable legal
evidence. With increasing number of unsolved crimes,
the criminal justice community must look seriously at
any new method that provides the evidence to solve the
crimes. Lip print varies in different parts of the lip, which
establishes that every individual has got unique lip print
and if ante‑mortem record is prepared it can be compared
with post‑mortem record for personal identification. In
conclusion, in the present study it is established that there
is no similarity of lip prints from one individual to another
individual and between males and females. Lip prints
can and should be included in the forensic sciences arena
as a legitimate means of identifying persons of interest.
Regarding the comparison with Mongols, more studies with
a larger sample size is necessary.
Indian Journal of Dental Research, 22(5), 2011
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A comparison of lip prints between Aryans–Dravidians and Mongols
Prasad and Vanishree
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How to cite this article: Prasad P, V. A comparison of lip prints between
Aryans-Dravidians and Mongols. Indian J Dent Res 2011;22:664-8.
Source of Support: Nil, Conflict of Interest: None declared.
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