A study on the lip print pattern of Naga tribes

Cheiloscopy is a forensic investigation technique that deals with the identification based on lip traces. Based upon the research, it was established that the arrangement of lines on the red part of human lips is unique for each human being. The present study is an attempt to determine the pattern of lip prints and evaluate its uniqueness in a sample of Naga population and also their association with print in the four quadrants of the lip. A total of 100 (15-40) years individuals were randomly selected. With the help of brush a layer of lipstick was applied on the lips of the subject. Following the basis of Tsuchihashi’s classification the lip prints collected were studied. It was found that Type I’ pattern was predominant among the studied subjects followed by Type I and Type III pattern while Type V pattern was the least frequent Lip pattern distribution in (all four quadrants) in both males and females of Nagas. It is found that no two or more persons had similar features of lip grooves. The frequency of repetition of the lip print pattern in successive quadrant is found to be high. Lip print pattern can be used as an additional tool for personal identification.