Assessment of Cheiloscopic Patterns and its Relation in Periodontally Healthy, Gingivitis, and Chronic Periodontitis: A Cross-sectional Study

Aim: To assess the relation of cheiloscopic patterns in periodontally healthy, gingivitis, and chronic periodontitis patients. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 225 patients reporting to the outpatient department of department of periodontology. They were selected based on the criteria specified for the study and were divided into three groups comprising 75 patients in each group as follows: Group I – periodontally healthy, Group II – gingivitis, and Group III – chronic periodontitis. The lip prints were recorded and analyzed using a magnifying glass. The collected data was subjected to statistical analysis. Results: A significant correlation was found between lip prints and periodontitis. Type IV pattern is maximum in patients with periodontitis and Type I in patients with gingivitis. The comparison of the frequency distribution according to the different cheiloscopic patterns in healthy, gingivitis and periodontitis patients showed statistically significant differences within three groups ( P <0.05). Conclusion: Cheiloscopy can prove to be extremely useful, noninvasive, and inexpensive tool for preliminary investigations and early detection of periodontal diseases.