Lip print: a humanitarian forensic action

Abstract

Introduction: forensic science involves diverse scientific disciplines that apply their particular expertise to the legal and judicial system. However, in the last decades this science has been linked to humanitarian actions and human rights proceedings. Forensic dentistry plays a vital role in personal identification. The lip print analysis is a relatively a simple procedure used in this discipline. It consists of patterns evaluation of cracks in the elevations and depressions on the labial mucosa. The aim of this study was to determine the lip print patterns of a southern Colombian population in order to add evidence of preconditions for forensic issues as part of a humanitarian forensic action. Methods: a total of 384 participants ≥ 35 years old were included in this study. The lip prints were analyzed through Suzuki and Tsuchihashi’s classification in order to identify the predominant lip prints in males and females. Descriptive analysis was used to determine the sample characteristics and a χ2 test was performed to analyze independence according to sex variable for these categorical data. Results: the analyses showed that Type I and I’ together were the most commonly lip prints seen in this sample, followed by Type II. There were not statistical differences between males and females. Conclusions: the evaluation of lip prints is a cost-effective method, and it could be an alternative in developing countries, especially in those that address massive violations of human rights.