Upload
pooja-patil
View
122
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
LIP PRINTS
• The wrinkles and grooves visible on the lips have been named by Tsuchihashi as ‘sulci labiorum rubrorum’
• The imprint produced by these grooves is termed ‘lip print’, the examination of which is referred to as ‘cheiloscopy’
• The grooves are heritable and are supposed to be individualistic
• Lip prints, therefore, can constitute material evidence left at a crime scene, much like fingerprints
CLASSSIFICATION
Lips were first classified by Santos into 2 categories:
• Simple wrinkleso Straight lineo Curved lineo Angled lineo Sine-shaped curve• Compound wrinkleso Bifurcatedo Trifurcatedo Anomalous
• Tsuchihashi later proposed a separate classification, dividing the pattern of grooves into six types:
• Type I- clear cut vertical grooves that run across the entire lip
• Type I’- similar to type I, but do not cover the entire lip
• Type II- branched grooves• Type III- intersected grooves• Type IV- reticular grooves• Type V- grooves that cannot be morphologically
differentiated
Type I- vertical
Type I’- intersecting
Type II- branching
Type III- reticular
Type IV- undetermined
• A combination of these grooves may be found on any given set of lips• To simplify recording lips are divided into quadrants similar to dentition – a
horizontal line dividing upper and lower lips and a vertical line dividing right and left sides
• By noting the type of groove in each quadrant, the individual’s lip print can be recorded
• Lip prints are usually left at the crime scene and can provide direct link to th suspect
• Traditionally, the use of lipsticks were essential to leave behind colored traces of lip prints
• In recent years, however lipsticks have been developed that do not leave any visible trace after contact with surfaces such as glass, clothing, cutlery or cigarette butts
• Nevertheless, these lip prints are characterized by their permanence and produce ‘persistent’ lip prints that can be recovered days after being produced
• Although invisible, Alvarez and associates have shown that these prints can be developed and visualized using agents such as aluminium powder and magnetic powder
• Ball states that the vermillion border has minor salivary glands and the edges of the lip have sebaceous glands with sweat glands in between . The secretions of oil and moisture from these enable development of latent lip prints in most crime scene
DISADVANTAGES OF LIP PRINT INVESTIGATION
• A major disadvantage of lip print investigation pertains to doubt about the permanence of lip patterns
• While they remain unchanged throughout one’s life, Sivapathasundharam and coworkers have cautioned that major trauma to the lips can result in scarring
• Surgical treatment that rendered to correct any abnormility also affects the size and shape of lips, thereby altering the pattern and morphology of grooves
• Tsuchihashi states that another disadvantage is the anatomic position of lip grooves on the zone of transition close to the vermillion border- a zone which is extremely mobile
• Also the pressure applied and its direction may alter the lip prints