Correlative study on lip prints, fingerprints, and mandibular intercanine distance for gender determination

CONTEXT: “Identity” is a set of physical characteristics, functional or psychic, normal or pathological, that defines an individual. Identification of an individual is a crucial and an exigent task in forensic investigation. AIMS: The aim of the present pilot study was to investigate the accuracy of various methods employed in gender determination such as lip prints, mandibular canine index (MCI), fingerprints, and correlation between them. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The pilot study group consisted of 300 samples aged between 18 and 25 years. Lip prints, fingerprints, and impressions of lower mandibular arches were collected. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The results were analyzed using Chi-square test for lip prints and fingerprints with an independent sample t-test for the MCI. Intergroup comparison between the parameters was analyzed by ANNOVA test. RESULTS: Type II lip print pattern and loop pattern of fingerprints were the predominant patterns in both males and females, and mesiodistal width of right MCI has greater sexual dimorphism than left MCI. CONCLUSIONS: Although lip prints, fingerprints, and MCI had their own specifications, correlation of the three parameters did not show any significance.