Efficacy of Cheiloscopy in Determination of Sex Among South Indians

Introduction: Human identification plays a vital role in any crime investigation. Along with the various other established methods, cheiloscopy also plays a key role in linking the criminal with the crime. The ability of a technique in differentiating the sex of a person in the field can help in screening a large number of suspects. This study evaluated the efficacy of cheiloscopy in determination of sex among South Indians. It also studied the pattern of dimorphism in the lips and lip prints of south Indians. Material and Methods: Lip prints from 100 medical students (50 males and 50 females) were obtained and were analyzed, based on Tsuchihashi and Suzuki classification, to check for dimorphism. Lip dimensions were studied by using standard sliding calipers for dimorphism. Results and Discussion: The most common pattern of lip print among males was Type III as compared to Type I in females. The outer four portions of the lip showed statistically significant differences in males and females. Middle portion of the lip was statistically insignificant in sex determination, based on lip print patterns. Thickness of the lip was significantly larger in males as compared to that in females and this criterion could be used to establish a logistic regression for determination of sex of a person. Conclusion: Lips not only significantly differ among the males and females in the pattern of the lip print that they present, but they also differ in their size. These features can effectively be used to determine the sex of a person accurately.