The Lips

The LIPS (labia oris)"are the two fleshy folds which surround the rima or orifice of the mouth. Second only to eyes, the lips attract more attention than any other feature on the face. The lip is both cosmetically and functionally important. Apart from its cosmetic and the functional importance, the lips play a very important role in person identification in forensic investigation. Identification is a matter of paramount importance in any crime investigation. Lips, like fingers and toes, have special features unique to the individual. No two lips are the same. A new area of investigation in the detection of crime is the use of wrinkles on the lips and study of these lines on the lip is called as "cheiloscopy". Thus today identity can be established by a combination of methods which makes the identification process relatively flawless. The role of Lips in Forensic Odontology has been discussed in detail in the present book.