Differentiation of Identical Twins by Facial Morphological Comparison: An Exploratory Study and Implications for Forensic Science

Abstract

— This study aimed to explore the ability of facial morphological comparison to differentiate monozygotic twins and identify which facial components were most useful for this purpose. The research was carried out on facial images of 09 pairs of twins (18 people), where 12 facial components were identified using the morphological comparison method. Each of these components were compared in each pair of twins, so we identified those components that were similar or different. Subsequently, the frequencies of similarities and differences for each facial component were calculated. Next, an analysis of variance was applied between the components identified as different and similar. The results suggested that such a method was useful for differentiating identical twins and that some facial components were more useful than others. In this sample, facial markings and the ear were the most discriminating components. These results would set the tone for future research in this area.