Sualog, Jaymari R.

– DDM 4B

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT LIP PRINTS

"Wherever he steps, whatever he touches, whatever he leaves,  The lip prints are the normal lines and fissures in the
even unconsciously, will serve as a silent witness against him. Not zone of transition of human lip between mucosa and
only his fingerprints or his footprints, but his hair, the fibers from the skin.
his clothes, the glass he breaks, the tool mark he leaves, the paint  There are variations in the layout of the lines and
he scratches, the blood or semen he deposits or collects. All of
fissures of the lips, which are unique to each
these and more, bear mute witness against him. This is evidence
individual, permanent and unchanging.
that does not forget, It is not confused by the excitement of the
 The lip print rarely changes, enduring minor traumas
moment. It is not absent because human witnesses are. It is factual
such as inflammation or sores.
evidence. Physical evidence cannot be wrong. It cannot perjure
itself, it cannot be wholly absent. Only human failure to find it, Lip prints are normal lines and fissures in the forms of wrinkles
study and understand it, can diminish its value.' and grooves present in the zone of transition of human lip,
- Professor Edmond Locard between the inner labial mucosa and outer skin, examination of
CHEILOSCOPY - The Study of Lip Prints which is known as Cheiloscopy. Like fingerprints and palatal
rugae, lipgrooves are permanent and unchangeable.
HISTORY
It can defined as a method of ldentification of person based on
1902 - R. Fisher, an anthropologist, observed and described the
characteristics arrangement of lines appearing on the red part
biological characteristics of human lips in terms of the organization
of lips or as science dealing with lines appearing on the red part
of their furrows.
of lips.
1930 - Diou de Lille, said that these furrows were regarded as
potentially useful elements in criminology, using lip prints. It is possible to identify lip patterns as early as 6thweek of
1932- Edmond Locard, France's most renowned criminology intrauterine life.
confirmed the importance of the study of cheiloscopy application.  Heredity plays some role in lip pattern development.
1950 - Le Moyne Snyder, regarded as the "Father of Cheiloscopy" (Similarities were found between parents and children)
and a forensic expert from California, suggested that the concept  Unique features are distinguishable, although parents and
that wrinkles in the lips could identify people described in his book their children have similar groove traits, the prints are not
entitled "Homicide Investigation". Identical, even in the case of Identical twins.
 Cheiloscopy is analogous to fingerprint analysis, and is a
1966 - Clauco Martin Santos, professor of Forensic Dentistry at the
genuine subspecialty of forensic odontology.
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) in Brazil, advocated that
 All lip prints showed different patterns. The lip print did
a set of lip wrinkles and grooves could be divided into different
not consist simply of one type of groove alone, but
groups and he proposed a classification.
appeared as a mixture of varying types.

Anthropologists first noted the biologic phenomenon of systems CHEILOSCOPY: is the study of lip print patterns.
of furrows on the red part of human lips. R. Fischer was the first to Research has shown that lip prints can be considered unique
describe it in 1902. Until 1950, however, anthropology merely based on several factors.
mentioned the existence of furrows without suggesting a practical
use of the phenomenon.
- Line patterns on the lips
- Shape of the lips
Since 1950 the Japanese have carried out extensive research in the - Point by point differences between individuals
matter. Based on the research done by two Japanese Scientists Y.
Tsuchihashi and T. Suzuki, it was established that the arrangement Uses of Cheiloscopy
of lines on the human lips is individual and unique for each human Detection work:
being. - Personal Identification
This statement led to the conclusion that there is a possibility of - Gender determination
using the arrangement of furrows (or a trace in a linear form) on Cheiloscopy may become very useful in forensics due to the
lips for the identification of a person. Studies have demonstrated extensive amount of valuable information that it brings.
that even in twins, whose pattern is somewhat similar, no two Lip
prints are identical in detail. TWO ways of potentially using lip prints:
01. Examine print patterns for identification like you
CHEILOSCOPY – cheilos, skopeo would examine fingerprints.
CHEILOSCOPY 02. Use chromatography to match the chemicals in
lipstick marks to a suspect's lipstick.
 from the Greek word "cheilos" which means lips and
"skopein" means to see. (name given to the studies How can Cheiloscopy be Used?
on lip prints. - Everyone has lips.
 is a forensic investigation technique that deals with - Lip prints are unique to an individual.
identification of humans based on lips traces. - Lip prints left behind at a crime scene can be
 It is a method of Person Identification and Sex compared to those of the suspects.
Determination. The lip print of every person is unique DIFFICULTIES
and can be used to determine the personal identity
and sex of the individual. There are some issues that make lip prints less reliable than
fingerprints.
It is a forensic investigation technique that deals with
- People can change the shape of their lips.
identification of a person based on characteristic arrangement
- Lips are not commonly touched to as many different
of lines appearing on the red part of lips or as a science dealing
kinds of surfaces as fingers.
with lines appearing on the red part of lips.
OTHER USES FOR LIP PRINTS
The study of lip prints or lip marks, their characteristics (such as
thickness, position of the grooves and grooves) and the record Lip Prints made with lipstick can be analyzed to identify the
of the impressions left by them. lipstick used.
 Sualog, Jaymari R. – DDM 4B

- Lipstick is a blend of different chemicals and TYPE I

pigments. Lip prints with patterns of grooves in a straight
- Each lipstick brand and color contain different line, arranged vertically and running along the
mixtures of these chemicals. entire width of the red part of the lip.
How Can We Compare Lipstick? TYPE II
 Paper Chromatography: is a method used to separate When the grooves were bifurcated
the pigments in a substance. or forked
 Lipstick found at a crime scene can be compared to TYPE III
known samples using paper chromatography. For criss-crossing grooves
PAPER CHROMATOGRAPHY TYPE IV
 A sample of the lipstick is applied to a paper medium For reticulate or “web-shaped grooves”
 The end of the paper is dipped into a liquid solvent TYPE V
(ex. Water, alcohol, acetone) For lines with other shapes not matching
 As the solvent travels up the paper, pigments are Any of the other types mentioned
carried with it. The sex of individual was determined as the descriptions given:
 A pattern will be formed based on the solubility and - Type l and I - Pattern dominant- Female
mobility of the pigments in the lipstick. - Type II - Pattern dominant - female
Types of Lip print - Type III - Pattern dominant - Male
- Type IV - Pattern dominant – Male
 Patent lip prints & Latent lip prints
- Type V - Pattern dominant - Male
Latent lip prints
 The vermillion border of the lips has minor salivary
and sebaceous glands which, together with the
moisturizing done by the tongue or the humidity
present in lips through saliva leads to the possibility
of the existence of latent lip prints
 These substances (lipids and fatty acids) that are
transferred to an object through lip contact, can be
developed and made visible.
Patent lip prints
 Visible lip prints that can be seen - e.g lipstick smears
LIP PRINTS IN DIFFERENT PERIODS
CLASSIFICATION OF LIP LINES
Classification by:
- Santos
- Suzuki and Tsuchihashi
In 1967 Santos was the first person to classify lip grooves. He
divided them in to four types namely:
 Straight line, Curved line, Angled line, Sine-shaped line
Individual features of line pattern on red of lips:

Types and Characteristics

 Type I Vertical comprising of complete (end to end)
longitudinal fissures/patter
 Type I' Incomplete longitudinal fissures
 Type II Branching Y shaped pattern
 Type III Criss-cross pattern
 Type IV Reticular, fence like
 Type V Undetermined
The five basic types of Lip prints used by forensic scientists:
 Sualog, Jaymari R. – DDM 4B

Where can we find lip prints?

- Photographs, Letters, Glass, Tissues, CDs and DVDs,
Cigarette butts, Clothing, Biological materials
Different materials used for Developing Lip prints
- Photograph, Cellophane tape, Paper
Different materials used to enhance Latent Lip Prints
1. Aluminum powder
2. Silver metallic powder
3. Plumb carbonate powder
4. Fat black aniline dyes
5. Fluorescent dyes
6. Lysochrome dyes
Analysis of Lip Prints
 Conventional Method
 Digital Method
EXAMINATION OF THE PRINTS

Advantages
 Cheiloscopy might be the last resort in detecting
crimes in certain cases, with advent of latest
technologies we might neglect the basic investigation
procedures.
 Plays a vital role in solving criminal investigation
 It can greatly help with Law, in the identification of
living suspects and dead individuals.
Disadvantages
 Lip print is produced by a substantially mobile portion
of the lip that explains the reason why the same
person can produce different lip print.
 The lipstick can also alter the lip print but this
problem can be solved if recordings are made until all
of the substance is used.
 The existence of some pathological conditions which
can invalidate the cheiloscopic study.
 The only condition which will rule out the
cheiloscopic study is the burns.
Lip prints bring added evidence to a crime scene that can be
valuable, especially in cases lacking other evidence, like
fingerprints.
Lip prints can be a factor in many different kinds of crimes, such
as:
- tape when a person has been bound or gagged,
- prints on a glass that a person drank from,
- prints on a cigarette butt, and
- prints on a glass/window if they were pressed up
against it.
All of these are potential places where lip prints may be found
and used in the investigation of a crime.
However, the use of lip prints in criminal cases is limited
because the credibility of lip prints has not been firmly
established in the court system.
 Sualog, Jaymari R. – DDM 4B

BITEMARK ANALYSIS Useful descriptors related to bite marks on deceased

WHAT IS A BITEMARK? - Time of Death
 A physical alteration in a medium caused by the - Response of assailant or victim
contact of teeth TIME OF DEATH
 A representative pattern left in an object or tissue by Antemortem (pre death)
the dental structures of an animal or human. - heart beating = diffuse bruising (spreading)
BITEMARK ANALYSIS Agonal / perimortem (during death)
- comparing the impressions and bruises left in the skin - Bite marks within 5 minutes of death
by one a
Heart is in process of stopping
- biting another to a suspect's teeth.
Well-defined bruising pattern
In a bitemark analysis, you are looking for and matching unique
Due to inflammation, evidence from bite marks on living victims
features between the bitemark and exemplar castings.
must be obtained within 8 hours, and cannot be washed. They
These features may include: must be photographed multiple times over the next 7 days.
- Gaps, Rotation (angle), Size of teeth (e.g. width at
4th step: Impression.
tip), Width from tooth to tooth (e.g. cuspid to cuspid)
 Different types of impressions that can be left by
Forensic dentists use several different terms to describe the teeth, depending on the pressure applied by the
type of bite mark: biter.
 Abrasion - a scrape on the skin 1. clear impression means that there was significant
 Artifact - when a piece of the body, such as an ear pressure;
lobe, is removed through biting 2. obvious bite signifies medium pressure;
 Avulsion - a bite resulting in the removal of skin 3. noticeable impression means that the biter used
 Contusion - a bruise violent pressure to bite down.
 Hemorrhage - a profusely bleeding bite
Bite marks on deceased victims are cut out from the skin in the
 Incision - a clean, neat wound
morgue and preserved in a compound called formalin, which
 Laceration - a puncture wound contains formaldehyde. Forensic dentists then make a silicone
Bite Mark Analysis: How It's Done cast of the bite mark.
1st step: Analyzing the bite if it's of human 5th step: Comparison.
 Animal teeth are very different from humans' teeth,  A forensic dentist can tell a lot about the teeth of the
so they leave very different bite-mark patterns. biter based on the bite mark. If there's a gap in the
bite, biter is probably missing a tooth. Crooked teeth
Offensive vs. Defensive
leave crooked impressions, and chipped teeth leave
jagged-looking impressions of varying depth. Braces
and partials also leave distinctive impressions.
Once investigators have identified a suspect, they obtain a
warrant to take dental records, a mold of his or her teeth as
well as photos of the mouth in various stages of opening and
Human bite marks vary according to:
biting. They then compare transparencies of the mold with
Type of tissue bitten those of the bite-mark cast, and photos of both the bite mark
- Muscle / connective tissues = distinct and the suspect's teeth are compared to look for similarities.
- Fat = less distinctive
Biting force Useful Methods in Bite Mark Analysis:
- Playful (offensive) bite marks = more distinctive  Acetate Overlay
- Aggressive ( defensive) bite marks = less distinct,  Computer programs
tearing, bruising, repeated biting
ACETATE OVERLAY
Resistance by victim
 Most of these techniques involve the fabrication of an
- Higher resistance = less distinctive
acetate overlay
- More compliant (or dead) victim = more distinctive
 An acetate overlay is an outline of the biting edge of
2nd step: DNA someone's teeth as traced onto and seen on a clear
 the bite is swabbed for DNA, which may have been transparency
left in the saliva of the biter. The dentist must also  These include tracing from dental models,
determine whether the bite was self-inflicted. photographs, wax bites, photocopies.
3rd step: Measuring, recording & photographs COMPUTER PROGRAMS
 Forensic dentists then take measurements of each  Have been developed to Overcome some of these
individual bite mark and record it. They also require problems
many photographs because of the changing nature of Theoretically they can:
the bites. Bruising can appear four hours after a bite - Correct for distortion
and disappear after 36 hours. If the victim is - Generate the overlay objectively
deceased, the dentist may have to wait until the - Carry out the comparison objectively
lividity stage, or pooling of the blood, clears and - Reproduce the overlay
details are visible.
Disadvantage of Bitemark Analysis
The bite photography must be conducted precisely, using rulers - Deformability & elasticity of human skin
and other scales to accurately depict the orientation, depth and - Healing power of human skin
size of the bite. The photos are then magnified, enhanced and - Human skin-not a good recording medium
corrected for distortions. - Movements of victim & accused