RAJIV GANDHI UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES,

KARNATAKA, BANGALORE .

ANNEXURE II

PROFORMA FOR REGISTRATION OF SUBJECT FOR DISSERTATION

1. NAME OF THE CANDIDATE AND

ADDRESS

(IN BLOCK LETTERS)

Dr. ANIL B.S.POST GRADUATE STUDENT,DEPARTMENT OF ORAL PATHOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY,BAPUJI DENTAL COLLEGE AND HOSPITAL, DAVANGERE-577004, KARNATAKA.

2. NAME OF THE INSTITUTION Bapuji Dental College and Hospital,Davangere- 577004, Karnataka.

3. COURSE OF STUDY

AND SUBJECTMaster of Dental SurgeryOral Pathology and Microbiology.

4. DATE OF ADMISSION TO THE

COURSE

25-05-2010

5. TITLE OF THE TOPIC: “Comparative reliability of Cheilioscopy & Palatoscopy in Human Identification and Sex determination: An Anthropometric study.”

6. BRIEF RESUME OF INTENDED WORK:

6.1 Need for the study

Human identification is one of the most challenging subjects that man has been confronted

with. Human identification is based on scientific principles, mainly involving dental

records, fingerprints and DNA comparisons. Sometimes, it becomes necessary to apply lesser

known and unusual techniques like chelioscopy and palatoscopy.1

The theory of uniqueness is a strong point used in the analysis of fingerprints and bite

marks to convince the court of law. Likewise, even lip prints and palatal rugae patterns are

considered to be unique to an individual and hence hold the potential for identification. The

wrinkles and grooves on the labial mucosa (called sulci labiorum) form a characteristic pattern

called "lip prints," the study of which is referred to as cheiloscopy. This is considered unique

to an individual and analogous to fingerprints. Palatal rugae are irregular, asymmetric ridges of

the mucous membrane extending laterally from the incisive papilla and the anterior part of the

median palatal raphe. Rugoscopy, the study of palatal rugae, finds application in the field of

anthropology, comparative anatomy, genetics, forensic odontology, prosthodontics and

orthodontics.1

Dentistry’s fundamental and clinical disciplines have, from time to time, shed light on

questions of civil and criminal law. Civil cases range from single malpractice suits to mass

disaster insurance claims. Criminal cases involve identification both of murder victims and of

suspects. Latent or chance impressions located on smooth surfaces are encountered in a

majority of the investigations which require comparative analysis. These impressions may

arise from a number of sources, the most frequently encountered being impressions of areas of

skin bearing friction ridges, predominantly those from the fingers. The possibility of

impressions arising from an area of the skin devoid of friction ridges has been noted. Cases in

which impressions devoid of friction ridges have been used for evidential purposes, have

primarily involved lip impressions.2

CHELIOSCOPY

Study of lip print is known as chelioscopy. (from greek word: chelios-lips, e scopein-name

given to lip print studies).

Lip prints are similar to finger prints, palm prints and footprints in that individual

characteristic are used for identification. The creases on the vermilion border of the lips, which

appear as white areas in lip prints, and the raised reddish areas outlined by these creases, which

appear as dark areas, are analogous to the furrows and ridges of friction ridge skin. The creases

on the vermilion border are also referred to as grooves, furrows, wrinkles and valleys.

Lip prints are unique and do not change during the life of a person. It is possible to identify

lip patterns as early as sixth week of intrauterine life. It has been verified that they recover

after undergoing alterations like trauma, inflammation and infections like herpes and that the

disposition and form of the furrows does not vary with environmental factors. The lip prints of

parents and children and those of siblings have shown some similarities. It has also been

suggested that variations in patterns among males and females could help in sex

determination.3

PALATOSCOPY

Palatoscopy or palatalrugoscopy is the name given to the study of palatal rugae in order to

establish a person’s identity. Transverse palatine folds or palatal rugae (PR), are asymmetrical

and irregular elevations of the mucosa located in the anterior third of the palate, made from the

lateral membrane of the incisive papilla, arranged in transverse direction from palatine raphe

located in the midsagittal plane. These formations have been used in medico-legal

identification processes because their individual morphological characteristics and stable over

time. The palatal rugae appear towards the third month of intrauterine life, from the covering

connective tissue in the palatine process of maxillary bone, and its development and growth is

mutually controlled by epithelial-mesenchymal interactions, where specific extracellular

matrix molecules are spatiotemporally expressed during development.4

The main aim of this study was to ascertain the use of lip prints and palatal rugae pattern in

identification and sex differentiation.

6.2 Review of literature:

1. A study on 4000 lip prints supports the idea of lip print singularity and this led to a

classification which was considered as the most complete classification, in which lips are

studied in halves (left and right) and every groove according to their form was given a number.

1

2. Santos advocated that the nature of labial wrinkles and grooves could be divided into

simple and compound groups and each group could be further divided into eight

subtypes by the application of individual chelioscopy to the personal identification. He then

devised his own classification of lip grooves into 4 types, namely:

i.Straight line.

ii.Curved line.

iii. An angled line.

iv. A sine shaped curve.1

3. In a study on palatal rugae, they were divided into two groups (fundamental and specific)

in a similar way to that done with fingerprints. In this manner, dactiloscopy (method of

studying fingerprints to establish identification) and palatoscopy were united as similar

methods based on same scientific principles and are sometimes complementary: for instance,

palatoscopy can be of special interest in those cases where there are no fingers to be

studied(burned bodies or bodies in severe decomposition).1

4. A study including 120 subjects of both sexes, between 15 to 20 years old, determined

the shape, size, number and position of the palatal rugae.The most prevalent palatal rugae

shape was sinuous (43%) followed by curve (27%), line (15%), point (11%), and polymorphic

varieties

(4%).4

5. A study made over a long time, enabled the authors to confirm not only lip print singularity,

but also lip response to trauma. They also observed that after healing, lip pattern was equal to

that before the injury occurred.5,6

6. In a study of lip prints of 600 individuals, including 52 families, of ages ranging from 3 to

83 years using adobe photo shop software found out that the patterns were similar between

males and females and varied among different age groups. Some hereditary resemblance was

observed between parents and offspring.7

7. In a study of palatal rugae pattern between Greeks and Swazi populaion found out that the

distribution of the number of main ridges in Swazi was significantly different from that among

the Greeks, a greater proportion of Swazi having higher primary ridge numbers. The contrary

holds for the secondary ridges, for the majority of Swazi were having very few, and none more

than three, whereas in the Greeks there were individuals with 7, 8 or 9 secondary ridges. In the

Swazi, then, there were more main and fewer secondary, and in the Greek fewer main and

more secondary. The differences between the two populations were highly significant on each

side, for both main and secondary ridges.8

8. A study showed the pattern of palatal rugae is unique to each individual and that it can

therefore be used for establishing identity. Although some changes do occur in the rugae

during orthodontic treatment, the morphology of palatal rugae remains stable throughout life

and carefuly assessed rugae pattern has definite role in forensic practice.9

9. A study showed that Straight rugae pattern on the right side of the palate in the male

subjects was found to be significantly predominant in the MP population, whereas wavy shape

was predominant in Keralites; however, rugae patterns on the right side of the palate in female

subjects exhibited no significant difference.10

7.

6.3 Objectives of the Study:

1. To study rugae patterns and lip print patterns to establish their use in human

identification and sex determination.

2. To evaluate the comparative reliability of chelioscopy and palatoscopy in human

identification and sex determination.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

7.1 Source of Data: Study sample will include 100 students, 50 males and 50 females of

Bapuji Dental College and Hospital, Davangere, with age ranging between 20-30years.

7.2 Method of Collecting Data (Including Sampling Procedures, If Any):

INCLUSION CRITERIA:

1. All subjects free of congenital abnormalities, inflammation, trauma or orthodontic

treatment are included for the study.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

1. Individuals with known hypersensitivity to lip sticks are not included the study.

2. Subjects with severe malocclusions, palatal asymmetries and history of surgery for cleft

palate and alveolus.

CHELIOSCOPY

A dark coloured lipstick is applied with a single stroke, evenly on the vermilion border. The

subjects are asked to rub both the lips to evenly spread the applied lip stick. After about two

minutes, a lip impression is made on a strip of cellophane tape on the glued portion, which is

then stuck on to a white bond paper. This serves as a permanent record. The

impression is subsequently visualized with the use of a magnifying lens. The number of

lines and furrows present, their length, branching and combinations are noted. The lip prints

obtained are coded, while noting the name and sex of the respective individuals. At the time of

analysis the sex of the print is not disclosed.1,2

In this study, we will be following the classification of patterns of the lines on the lips

proposed by Tsuchihashi.

Type 1: Clear-cut vertical grooves that run across the entire lips.

Type 1′: Similar to type 1, but do not cover the entire lip.

Type 2: Branched grooves.

Type 3: Intersected grooves.

Type 4: Reticular grooves.

Type 5: Grooves do not fall into any of the type 1-4 and cannot be differentiated

morphologically (undetermined).1, 2, 5, 6

For classification, the middle part of the lower lip (10 mm wide) will be taken as study area

in accordance with Sivapathasundaram et al.2 Since this fragment is almost always visible in

any trace, the determination of the pattern depends on numerical superiority of properties of

the lines on this study area.

The sex of the individual is determined as per the descriptions given by Vahanwala et al.

Type 1, 1′: Pattern dominant – Female.

Type 2: Patterns are dominant – Female.

Type 3: Pattern present – Male.

Type 4: Male.

Type 5: (varied patterns) – Male.1, 2

The results obtained will be verified from the coded data collected at the beginning of the

study.

PALATOSCOPY

To record palatal rugae, alginate impressions of the

maxillary arch will be made and poured with dental stone. A dental plaster base is made

and casts are preserved for interpretation. The outline of the rugae is traced on these casts

using a sharp graphite pencil under adequate light. The palatal rugae patterns are

then analyzed on these casts with the help of magnifying lens, using the classification given

by Lyssel.

The rugae patterns are classified based on their length, shape, direction, and unification.

(A) The rugae are classified based on their length as:

Primary: - 5mm or more.

Secondary: - 3 to 5 mm.

Fragmentary: - 2 to 3 mm.

Rugae less than 2 mm are disregarded. A ruga's length is determined by measuring its greatest

dimension regardless of its shape.

(B) The rugae are divided into four types based on their shape as:

i. Curved: They have a crescent shape and curved gently. Evidence of even the slightest bend

at

the origin or termination of a ruga is classified as a curved ruga.

ii. Wavy: If there is a slight curve at the origin or termination of a curved ruga, it is classified

as wavy.

iii. Straight: They run directly from their origin to termination.

iv. Circular: Rugae that forms a definite continuous ring.

(C) The direction of the ruga is determined by measuring the angle formed by the line joining

its origin and termination and the line perpendicular to the median raphae. Forwardly directed

rugae are associated with positive angles, backwardly directed rugae are associated with

negative angles and perpendicular rugae are associated with zero angles.

(D) Unification occurs when two rugae are joined at their origin or termination. Rugae are

8.

considered diverging if two rugae are having the same origin but immediately branched. Rugae

with different origins, which join on their lateral portions, are considered converging. Rugae

are tested for gender and for both sides of the palate using the following parameters:

1. Total number of rugae.

2. Number of primary rugae.

3. Predominant shape.

4. Predominant direction.

5. Unification of rugae.

The total number of rugae and number of primary rugae will be more in females than

males.The predominant shape in males will be wavy and curved, followed by the straight

pattern.Predominant shape in females will be wavy, followed by curved and straight shapes.1

Statistical analysis:

The Z-test (standard normal variate test) for proportion is used to test the significant

difference between males and females for different types of lip print patterns. Same test is used

to observe the different types of rugae patterens in males and females.

7.3: Does the study require any investigation or interventions to be conducted on patients

or other humans or animals? If so, please describe briefly.

Yes, lip prints using lip sticks and maxillary impression using alginate impression material

will be taken from the subjects.

7.4: Has ethical clearance been obtained from your institution in case of 7.3.

Yes

LIST OF REFERENCES:

1. Caldas IM, Magalhães T, Afonso A. Establishing identity using cheiloscopy and

palatoscopy. Forensic Sci Int. 2007; 165:1-9.

2. Sivapathasundharam B, Prakash PA, Sivakumar G. Lipprints (Cheiloscopy). Indian J Dent

Res. 2001; 12:234-7.

3. Sharma P, Saxena S, and Rathod V. Cheiloscopy: The study of lip prints in sex

identification. J Forensic Dent Sci. 2009; 1:24-7.

4. Hermosilla VV, San Pendro VJ, Cantin LM, Suazo GIC.Palatal Ruga: Systematic analysis

of its shape and dimensions for use in human identification. Int.J.Morphology.2009;

27(3):819-825.

5. Suzuki K, Tsuchihashi Y. A new attempt of personal identification by means of lip print.

Can Soc Forensic Sci J. 1971; 4:154-8.        

6. Tsuchihashi Y. Studies on personal identification by means of lip prints. Forensic Sci. 1974;

3:233-48.

7. Augustine J, Barpande SR, Tupkari JV. Chelioscopy as an adjunct to forensic identification:

A study of 600 individuals. J. Forensic odontostomatology. 2008; 27:44-52.

8. Hauser H, Daponte A, Roberb MJ. Palatal rugae. J.Anat. 1989; 165:237-249.

9. Bansode SC, Kulkarni MM. Importance of palatal rugae in individual identification. J

Forensic Dent Sci, 2009;1:77-81

10. Paliwal A, Wanjari S, Parwani R. Palatal rugoscopy: Establishing identity. J Forensic Dent

Sci. 2010; 2:27-31. 

9 SIGNATURE OF CANDIDATE

10 REMARKS OF THE GUIDE This study helps in evaluating reliability of

Chelioscopy And Palatoscopy in Forensic

Dentistry.

11 NAME AND DESIGNATION OF(IN BLOCK LETTERS)

11.1 GUIDE

11.2 SIGNATURE

Dr. B.R. Ahmed Mujib.Professor and Head,Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology,Bapuji Dental College and Hospital,Davangere-577004Karnataka.

11.5 HEAD OF DEPARTMENT

11.6 SIGNATURE

Dr. B.R. Ahmed Mujib.Professor and Head,Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology,Bapuji Dental College and Hospital,Davangere-577004Karnataka.

12 12.1 REMARKS OF THE CHAIRMAN AND PRINCIPAL

12.2 SIGNATURE

From,

Dr.Anil B.S., Post Graduate student, Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, Bapuji Dental College and Hospital, Davangere.

Through,

The Head of the Department, Department Of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, Bapuji Dental College and Hospital, Davangere.

To,

The Principal, Bapuji Dental College and Hospital, Davangere.

Subject: Application to issue Ethical clearance Certificate.

Respected Sir,

With reference to the above subject, I am doing a Dissertation titled- “Comparative reliability of Cheilioscopy & Palatoscopy in Human Identification and Sex determination: An Anthropometric study.”For the above study I need to take lip prints and alginate impressions of the selected subjects. So

I request you to issue me an Ethical clearance Certificate to carry out the study as per RGUHS

guidelines. Please oblige.

Thanking you Sir,

25th October 2010 yours obediently,Davangere.

Dr. Anil B.S.