No abstract

Aim: Lip prints are unique for any individual. The potential of lip prints as one of the biometric records to determine the identity has been well-recognized. However, studies focused on their reliability by comparing the developed latent lip prints were scarce. This study focused on the reliability of the lip prints for the personal identification by comparing the registered lip prints with the developed latent lip prints made on the porcelain cups. Materials and methods: Samples of 102 subjects (52 males and 50 females) within the age group of 18-30 years were included. Latent and superimposed lip impressions were made on a standard porcelain cup. The latent prints were developed with the fingerprint powder. Then, the lip prints with lip rouge were registered on a transparent adhesive tape. Both the developed latent lip prints and the registered lip prints were photographed with a standard ruler using the digital camera and were compared. The lip prints were classified with the scheme proposed by Tsuchihashi. The statistical analysis was done using the Pearson Chi-square test (IBM SPSS version 20) with a p value of 0.05. Results: The lip prints were unique to any individual irrespective of the gender variation. Their interpretation of comparing the digital pictures confirmed the presence of unique patterns and the possibility of the feature extraction similar to the fingerprints. Type III was the most frequent pattern observed in the study group. Conclusion:We conclude that the lip prints are highly reliable as a biometric record due to their uniqueness. The lip prints have demonstrated enough evidence that is intentionally registered and the developed latent prints were compared, which can be applied as one of the easiest and simplest methods for comparison. Yet, the authenticity of the lip print is in the preliminary level and need more systematic studies to be accepted for the legal disputes. Clinical significance: The study result can strengthen the reliability of the lip prints as an identification tool and discusses the future possibilities of lip print application.