Comparison of lip prints in smokers and non-smokers

Forensic odontology is the branch of dentistry which aids in identifying humans after homicides, accidents, wars, crimes or natural calamities (1). There were many challenges faced by man in the early days to prove the identity of an individual. However, in the past century, the discovery that finger print patterns are distinctive and permanent made it an ideal tool for forensic identification. It has also been used extensively in crime scene investigations to identify potential suspects/culprits. Since awareness regarding the use of finger prints in investigations has increased exponentially, sufficient precautions like the use of gloves by the culprits has also been on the rise (2). As an alternative to finger prints for forensic identification, lip prints have also been studied extensively for personal identification based on lip tracings. The study of lip prints is known as cheiloscopy. Interest in cheiloscopy as a potentially indispensable tool in forensics has been increasing in the recent few decades. Lip prints are unique for each person and do not change during life and they are permanent and invariable (3). However lip prints are not very stable after death, and have to be obtained within 24 hours of death to prevent any of the erroneous data that would result from the post-mortem alterations of lip(4). Also, pathologies of the lip can interfere with lip print patterns. Cigarette smoking is a widespread deleterious habit that can have various local and systemic effects on an individual. Therefore, we designed a study to determine if there was any change in lip print patterns due to cigarette smoking, and to compare lip print patterns in smokers and non-smokers.