title: Study of lip print pattern in a Punjabi population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lip prints are unique to each individual and can be used for personal identification. The lip prints show differences according to the race and the ethnic origins of a person.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of the study was to determine the predominant lip print type in a Punjabi population.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted on 106 students of our institution and comprised 56 males and 50 females in the age group of 18-25 years. The middle part of the lower lip was taken as study area. Analysis of lip print pattern was done according to Tsuchihashi Classification.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No two lip prints matched with each other. Type 1 pattern (vertical grooves that run across the entire lip) was found to be predominant in both males (51.02%) and females (43.47%) and there was no statistically observed difference between males and females in individual lip print types.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our study, lip prints did not match with each other, hence lip prints are unique and further studies with larger samples are required to obtain statistical significance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Genesis Institute of Dental Sciences and Research, Ferozepur, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Simarpreet Virk
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Sandhu
authors.forename: Himanta
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bansal
authors.forename: Poonam
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Monga
authors.forename: Rajat
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bhandari
keywords: Cheiloscopy; Punjabi population; evidence; forensic odontology; lip prints; personal identification