An association between Landsteiner-Rhesus typing of blood and cheiloscopy among female students in Bengaluru Rural: Forensic Medicine perspective

Abstract

Introduction: Cheiloscopy is the term used for the study and analysis of lip impressions. In the field of forensics, identification is of utmost importance.Objective: To study the relationship between lip prints and blood groups in female students in rural Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.Materials: Lip prints and blood groups were obtained and recorded using cotton swabs, lipstick, antisera for slide agglutination test, slides, lancelets, sanitizer, and hand towels.Methods: 189 students from the MVJ Medical College and Research Hospital participated after giving informed written consent. By applying cello tape to lips that had been painted with lipstick and then affixing the tape to the proforma sheet, the lip prints were collected. Suzuki and Tsuchihashi classification was used to categorize the same. The slide agglutination method was used to determine the blood group. Statistical analysis was done using the chi-square test. P value of 0.05 was considered of statistical significance.Results: Type II or branching type was the most common lip print in our study. Most individuals (181 out of 189 participants) belonged to the Rh-positive blood group. The study participants with blood type O were the most commonly seen. Association between type II lip print and blood group O were found to be the most common.Conclusions: This research shows the relationship between cheiloscopy and blood groups. These are frequently discovered evidence at a scene of the crime and are crucial for identification.