A Comparative Evaluation between Cheiloscopic Patterns and Terminal Planes in Primary Dentition

OBJECTIVE: To assess the correlation between different cheiloscopic patterns with the terminal planes in deciduous dentition. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three hundred children who are 3–6 years old with complete primary dentition were recruited, and the pattern of molar terminal plane was recorded in the pro forma. Lip prints of these children were recorded with lipstick-cellophane method, and the middle 10 mm of lower lip was analyzed for the lip print pattern as suggested by Sivapathasundharam et al. The pattern was classified based on Tsuchihashi and Suzuki classification. RESULTS: Type II (branched) pattern was the most predominant cheiloscopic pattern. The predominant patterns which related to the terminal planes were as follows: Type IV (reticular) and Type V (irregular) pattern for mesial step, Type IV (reticular) pattern for distal step, and Type I (complete vertical) pattern for flush terminal plane. No significant relationship was obtained on gender comparison. CONCLUSION: Lip prints can provide an alternative to dermatoglyphics to predict the terminal plane in primary dentition. Further studies with larger sample size are required to provide an insight into its significant correlations.