Morphological patterns of lip prints in an Iranian population

BACKGROUND: Lip prints are verified to be unique to an individual and stable over time; hence they have potential for human identification purposes. The aim of this study was to assess the individuality and variability of lip prints in an Iranian population for the first time. We also sought to assess the possibility of sex determination via lip printing. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Lip prints of 96 individuals including 22 males and 74 females were recorded on a plain white paper using a dark-colored lipstick and 50 mm of Scotch tape. Each lip print was divided into six sextants and studied independently by two observers using a magnifying lens to examine the lip grooves. The Suzuki and Tsuchihashi’s classification was used to define the lip patterns and the data were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: In the present study, no identically similar lip prints were observed. Type V was the most predominant pattern recorded in the study sample (33.16%), followed by type I (24.13%), type II (18.75%), type IV (11.63%), type I’ (9.72%) and type III (2.60%). In addition, no statistically significant difference was observed in the lip print patterns of males and females. CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that lip prints are unique and their analysis may enable human identification. Key words:Forensic anthropology, forensic dentistry, forensic medicine, iran, lip.