Reliability of lip prints in personal identification: An inter-racial pilot study

Cheiloscopy in sex estimation: a systematic review

This study aimed to conduct a systematic review to gather evidence to clarify if cheiloscopy can be used in sex estimation and identify the reasons behind the lack of consensus in the scientific community. The systematic review was performed following the PRISMA guidelines. A bibliographic survey was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, restricted to articles published between 2010 and 2020. Studies were selected according to eligibility criteria, and then the study data were collected. The risk of bias in each study was assessed and applied as additional inclusion or exclusion criteria. The results of the articles eligible for analysis were synthesized using a descriptive approach. In the 41 included studies, several methodological flaws and variations between studies that contribute to the discrepancy in results were identified. The data gathered allowed us to conclude that there is no strong scientific evidence to support the use of cheiloscopy in sex estimation, as there is no specific pattern for each sex, which reduces the criminalistic interest of cheiloscopy in estimating this parameter.

Type I Lip Patterns among Medical Students of a Medical College

Introduction

Identity and identification have long been a source of interest and concern in forensic dentistry, whether in the context of a criminal investigation or the identification of a deceased person. Lip print has demonstrated a high level of potential as one of the best options, as well as its usage as supporting evidence. The aim of this study was to find out the prevalence of Type I lip patterns among medical students of a medical college.

Methods

This descriptive cross-sectional study was done among medical students of a medical college from 30 December 2021 to 30 February 2022 after obtaining ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee. The lipstick was applied in a thin layer uniformly, and the impression was taken with the help of the cellophane tape. The specimens were analyzed and classified based on Tsuzuki and Tsuchihashi's classification. A convenience sampling method was used. The point estimate was calculated at a 95% Confidence Interval.

Results

Among 120 medical students, the prevalence of type I lip pattern was 48 (40%) (31.23-48.77, 95% Confidence Interval). Among them, 26 (54.17%) were males and 22 (45.83%) were females.

Conclusions

The prevalence of Type I lip pattern among medical students was higher than in other studies done in similar settings.

Keywords

biometric identification; forensic science; lips; medical students; photography.

Dental Radiographic/Digital Radiography Technology along with Biological Agents in Human Identification

The heavy casualties associated with mass disasters necessitate substantial resources to be managed. The unexpectedly violent nature of such occurrences usually remains a problematic amount of victims that urgently require to be identified by a reliable and economical method. Conventional identification methods are inefficient in many cases such as plane crashes and fire accidents that have damaged the macrobiometric features such as fingerprints or faces. An appropriate recognition method for such cases should use features more resistant to destruction. Forensic dentistry provides the most appropriate available method for the successful identification of victims using careful techniques and precise data interpretation. Since bones and teeth are the most persistent parts of the demolished bodies in sudden mass disasters, scanning and radiographs are unrepeatable parts of forensic dentistry. Forensic dentistry as a scientific method of human remain identification has been considerably referred to be efficient in disasters. Forensic dentistry can be used for either "sex and age estimation," "Medical biotechnology techniques," or "identification with dental records," etc. The present review is aimed at discussing the development and implementation of forensic dentistry methods for human identification. For this object, the literature from the last decade has been searched for the innovations in forensic dentistry for human identification based on the PubMed database.